David Larocca, the CEO of EY Oceania, stood before the corporate press today and delivered a familiar sermon: Australia’s corporate tax system is ‘globally uncompetitive,’ and the solution is to slash taxes for the rich even further. In remarks published by The Australian, Larocca—whose firm rakes in billions advising the very corporations he’s shilling for—argued that substantial tax cuts are the key to attracting investment and boosting the economy. Never mind that corporations are already sitting on record profits while wages stagnate and public services crumble. Never mind that every dollar in tax cuts for the wealthy is a dollar stolen from schools, hospitals, and housing. To Larocca and his ilk, the answer is always the same: more for them, less for us. **The Myth of ‘Competitiveness’** Larocca’s argument hinges on the idea that Australia’s corporate tax rate is too high compared to other countries, making it harder to attract investment. But let’s cut through the jargon: when CEOs like Larocca talk about ‘competitiveness,’ they’re not talking about creating jobs or improving living standards. They’re talking about padding their own pockets. The reality is that corporate tax rates have been slashed for decades, and the result hasn’t been a booming economy—it’s been soaring inequality, crumbling infrastructure, and a housing crisis that’s pushing more people into homelessness. Meanwhile, corporations like EY—whose clients include some of the biggest tax dodgers in the world—help the rich hide their wealth in offshore accounts while demanding even lower taxes. **Tax Cuts: A Scam for the Rich** Larocca’s call for tax cuts isn’t just tone-deaf—it’s a direct attack on working people. Every dollar that corporations don’t pay in taxes is a dollar that comes out of public services. It’s a dollar that could have gone to funding mental health care, fixing potholes, or building affordable housing. Instead, it lines the pockets of shareholders and executives who already have more money than they could spend in a lifetime. And let’s not forget: the same corporations demanding tax cuts are the ones paying poverty wages, busting unions, and lobbying against climate action. They don’t care about ‘competitiveness.’ They care about control—control over our lives, our labor, and our future. **The Real Economy vs. the Corporate Fantasy** Larocca’s vision of a ‘competitive’ Australia is a dystopian nightmare where corporations rule unchecked, workers are disposable, and the environment is a resource to be plundered. But here’s the truth: the real economy—the one that actually sustains people—isn’t built on tax cuts for billionaires. It’s built on mutual aid, community solidarity, and the collective effort of workers who keep society running. While Larocca and his corporate cronies whine about ‘uncompetitive’ tax rates, nurses, teachers, and construction workers are struggling to make ends meet. Small businesses are being crushed by rent hikes and predatory loans. And young people are being priced out of homeownership entirely. The solution isn’t to give more handouts to the rich. It’s to take back what’s ours—through strikes, direct action, and building alternatives outside their system. **Why This Matters:** Larocca’s demand for corporate tax cuts isn’t just another policy debate. It’s a declaration of war on the working class. It’s a reminder that the ruling class will never stop demanding more—more profits, more power, more control—while the rest of us are left to fight over scraps. But their system is failing. People are waking up to the fact that tax cuts for the rich don’t trickle down—they flood upward, into the bank accounts of the already obscenely wealthy. The answer isn’t to beg for crumbs from the corporate table. It’s to burn the table down. It’s to reject the idea that we need bosses, billionaires, or their political puppets to decide how society’s wealth is distributed. The real ‘competitiveness’ we should be striving for is a world where no one goes hungry while CEOs hoard billions. A world where housing is a right, not a commodity. A world where the wealth we create belongs to all of us, not just a privileged few. Larocca and his ilk will never give us that world. We’ll have to take it.
