CICTAR quoted in Guardian article on ‘cruel joke’ tax concessions on donations to Australia’s richest private schools

Jason Ward, CICTAR’s principal analyst, is quoted in a Guardian article on the “outrageous” and “cruel joke” that incentivises donations to Australia’s richest private schools in return for a tax deduction.

The article covers recent analysis of federal government data by the campaign group Save Our Schools which found that more than $106m was donated to 60 private schools in 2023. Some of these donations were considered tax deductible gifts to charities, provided the money was designated for campus buildings.

CICTAR’s Jason Ward is quoted, saying that is is “ludicrous that donations to these elite private schools, with family median incomes ranging between $225k and $495k, should be tax deductible”.

“On top of that, these well endowed schools with high fees and their own income sources are getting more than $580m in annual government funding, while the state public school systems are struggling with higher rates of teacher turnover and class sizes.”