It's just six weeks to budget night and, as usual, a lot of ideas are being floated.

• COMMENT

There's still time to craft a budget that actually does something.

The US tax system is heavily biased in favour of owners of modest properties with mortgage commitments and limits the subsidy available to geared investors.

It's time to bust the myth that childcare subsidies are middle-class welfare.

What the Tax Office is attempting to catch is nothing new – undisclosed income and dodgy deductions – it's just added a new way to catch you out.

The Centrelink debt demands are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how data is used in your financial life.

IT projects thrown overboard as ATO orders all hands to keep tax time afloat.

• EXCLUSIVE

When Scott Morrison rose in Parliament to promise high-end tax cuts, he knew he faced a powerful obstacle.

The Tax Office ruled out a census-style "denial of service" attack as the reason for the loss of its entire website, saying the massive failure was due to hardware problems "not being caused by any external factors".

The United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Fiji, Mexico, South Africa and parts of America have sugar taxes. Australia could be next.

Australia's tax system has become skewed towards a growing and apparently untouchable group of 'taxed nots' - they are older Australians who pay roughly $1 billion per year less tax than younger Australians in the same circumstances, according to a new Grattan Institute report.

What if the right to an income was as basic as the right to vote?

If you're lodging with MyTax this weekend, here are a few tips to help you get more bucks back this year.

Eight of 10 Australians get a tax refund and the average last year was $2112

"I've got my ear to the ground now," says Inspector-General of Taxation Ali Noroozi.

A crazy idea that looks like getting up was based on the notion that government could give small business a much-needed boost by cutting their company tax.

There can be unexpected tax and financial consequences of a couple moving in together.

Asked why it had backed down, the ATO said though a spokeswoman it had made a political judgement.

Capital gains tax on the family home is not to difficult to understand if you take it step by step.

Treasurer Scott Morrison has confirmed plans to water down some of the superannuation changes announced in the budget, but says he'll hold the line on the most important elements.

• COMMENT

The challenge with paying tax is how to make sure you don't pay too much or too little but just the right amount.

The Tax Office is targeting the growing number of people making a living or supplementing their regular income from the sharing economy.

Face-to-face fundraising is here to stay, but while it's effective for charities, there are more effective ways to give.

Fast-fashion retailer is one of a growing number of multinationals locking in their Australian tax.

• WELL HEELED

If you're letting a property to tenants, it's important to know what you can and cannot claim.

Tax cuts promised from Friday July 1 will fail to arrive for up to a year after the Tax Office confirmed it won't be changing its tax schedules to accommodate the prime minister.

Claims of a boost to living standards from the government's planned company tax cuts rest largely on a dramatic reduction in tax avoidance, a new analysis shows.

As the start of the financial year approaches there is always a raft of changes in taxes and thresholds.

• WELL HEELED

Making sure you're financially organised is the key to ensuring you maximise your tax return and receive your refund as soon as possible.