Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
2:15 pm
I thank the senator for the question, and I would say to her that we disagree with the suggestion that the tax changes are about not helping the little guy, because, in fact, this is about better aligning the tax treatment of income from assets and income from work and helps fund tax cuts for working people. I would make the point—I know those opposite may may not wish for these facts to be on the table—that the number of discretionary trusts in this country has doubled over the past 20 years to over 800,000, exceeding the growth in companies. The majority of trust income flows to the top-earning 10 per cent of families. About 90 per cent of total private trust wealth is held by the wealthiest 10 per cent of households. So let us get the facts here about who is actually utilising trusts.
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