Strengthening the movement for a fairer tax system

Last autumn, in collaboration with Tripple, we invested in a group of organisations working to strengthen the movement for tax justice. Twelve months on, momentum is building for progressive tax reform as we continue to support four partners into the next phase of their work.

Many of the factors that shaped our 2025 grant round remain relevant today. Tax is still a foundational lever for progress on democracy, climate, housing and economic equality, yet it remains underfunded and politically fraught.

Tax reform has long been framed in elite, technical terms, but the real barriers to change are more familiar: entrenched interests, toxic media cycles and political inertia. The housing and cost-of-living crises have opened new conversations about tax policy, and we’re presented with a genuine opportunity for reform, but political will is fragile, and the moment demands action.

Tax in the foreground

Public and political appetite for progressive reform is growing, particularly for targeted changes that close loopholes benefiting the wealthy. In recent weeks, the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing have re-entered mainstream debate, with a coalition of advocacy groups — including several of our grant partners — calling on the Treasurer to use the 2026 budget to scrap $20 billion in housing tax breaks and redirect the savings toward funding quality public housing for those who need it most.

Our grant partners have contributed to these shifts. They have broadened and deepened public debate. They have influenced decision-makers — across the major parties, the Greens and the crossbench — through direct advocacy, government roundtables and formal inquiries. And they have built the evidence base for corporate tax reform. Their ongoing work is critical to a strong and effective movement for a fairer tax system. As such, the Reichstein Foundation is delighted to continue our partnerships through our latest grant round with the following four organisations:

Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR)

CICTAR is dedicated to promoting accountability in global tax practices, providing tools and evidence to support workers’ rights and social justice.

Over the past 12 months, CICTAR has worked with unions and NGOs to expose the tax avoidance strategies of government-funded service providers — in job services, childcare and aged care — revealing a troubling lack of transparency around profits and the risks of private equity ownership in essential services.

In 2026, CICTAR’s investigations have turned to major global corporations operating in Australia whose contribution to the nation’s tax base is severely lacking. These include infrastructure giants, fossil fuel exporters and US tech multinationals that have reported Australian profit margins far below their global averages — a pattern consistent with profit shifting.

A centrepiece of this work is CICTAR’s contribution to TAXDATA. Aggregating eleven years of ATO tax transparency data across more than 1,274 companies, the platform allows anyone to search and examine a corporation’s revenue, taxable income and tax payments for the first time. Transparency will encourage changes in corporate behaviour, could allow exclusions from public contracts and make it much easier to close loopholes through legislation.

Community Tax Project

The Community Tax Project brings together the Australian Council of Social Service — Australia’s peak body on inequality — and Melbourne Law School, a leader in tax justice law and policy. Their project builds capacity within the academic and community sectors to advocate on tax system design, making the case for taxation as a means to sustainably fund essential services and advance economic equity.

Over the next 12 months, the Community Tax Project will continue to play a vital role coordinating Australian NGOs to advocate on tax reform with strong policy foundations and credibility.

Economic Media Centre

The Economic Media Centre (EMC) brings together a network of more than 1,100 trained spokespeople — including experts from Think Forward, the Community Tax Project and the Antipoverty Centre — and deploys them to shift the public narrative on tax.

Effective reform depends on a broad coalition of voices: economists, community advocates and people with direct experience of poverty and inequality all have a role in moving public opinion and holding decision-makers to account. In the last six months alone, EMC placed over 70 media stories on tax reform. As the political debate heats up ahead of the budget, that number is expected to grow significantly.

Think Forward

Think Forward is led by younger Australians who want to see intergenerational fairness placed at the heart of our economic and tax systems. Founded in response to a growing awareness that younger generations are bearing the cost of outdated tax settings — on housing, capital and opportunity — Think Forward researches, educates and advocates for transformational change.

Over the next 12 months, Think Forward will continue its Tax Wealth, Not Work campaign, making the case for shifting Australia’s tax burden from income onto wealth, including through reform of capital gains tax concessions, negative gearing and superannuation tax breaks.

Webinar: philanthropy briefing on tax reform advocacy in Australia

Date: Thursday 7 May, 11:00am–12pm AEST
Format: online
RSVP to info@reichstein.org.au
Co-hosted by the Reichstein Foundation and Tripple

With the federal budget approaching and capital gains tax reform actively on the table, this is a timely opportunity to hear from the key organisations working in this space and to explore where philanthropic investment could make the most difference.

Guest speakers include:

• Cassandra Goldie, ACOSS — the policy stakes, what to watch for in the budget, and the road ahead for reform
• Nick Moraitis, Watershed — an overview of the tax reform advocacy landscape, the political moment, and where the funding gaps are
• Jane Body and Thomas Walker, Think Forward — what a significantly scaled intergenerational fairness campaign could look like.

The session will also feature:

• highlights from recent research into community attitudes and effective messaging on tax reform from Oxfam Australia and Essential Research
• reflections on lessons from recent grant rounds from Tripple and the Reichstein Foundation
• time for open discussion for funders to share their current thinking and priorities.

This briefing is designed for philanthropic funders and foundations with an interest in economic justice, housing affordability and intergenerational equity. Whether you’re already investing in this space or exploring it for the first time, we hope you’ll join us.