How is Victoria "uncompetitive" in company tax rates?
That's not an area the state controls.
NSW and Victoria receive a significant tax take from stamp duty etc., that's where the "high taxing" as a proportion of GSP comes from. There's also huge service sector workforces, so payroll tax will make up a higher proportion of state revenue than say mining royalties. If Victoria or NSW weren't offering comparative advantages then they wouldn't be the home of so much of Australia's non-extractive industries. Remembering Victoria still accounts for the majority of Australia's manufacturing sector, planning and logistics, splits with NSW on construction and building materials, and tech, but has by far the largest share of biotech and education+advanced research. It's the most diverse economy in the country and for most of the last 6+ years has been the healthiest. We'll see how quickly it rebounds coming out of the pandemic.
