Question 1: Australian Corporate Tax Cuts

This question relates to material covered in the Module 1 particularly the Australian taxation system and the dividend imputation. credits.

This question addresses the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th subject learning outcomes.

Students are expected to conduct their own research and develop their own opinions about the merits of this topic. There is no single correct answer and students will be marked on the depth of their research, the quality of their arguments (for and against), and their demonstrated understanding of the issues involved. In this complex area of financial policy

Write an essay of between 600 and 1,000 words discussing the following topic.

The Australian federal government plans to eventually lower the Australian corporate tax rate to 25%. The government believes that this will improve the economy and ultimately taxpayers by stimulating business investment and creating jobs. Internationally, many countries are lowering their corporate tax rates including, most recently, Donald Trump's United States.

Is lowering the Australian corporate tax rate good policy? Discuss. Give particular consideration to the Australian dividend imputation system and how the Australian corporate tax rate impacts on Australian taxpayers.

There is a large number of resources available for students to access reflecting a variety of views on this topic.

There are many items in the mainstream online media which canvas the Government's view and also items that support the view of those opposing. However, students should research widely and not limit themselves to any particular source for their information.

For example, community activist group Get Up! produced this humorous advertisement querying the value of providing such a large tax break to large multinational companies.

Remember, there is no correct answer and individual students will be assessed on their demonstrated understanding of the issues and the depth and quality of their individual research.

Question 2

This question relates to material covered in Topics 1-5. This question addresses the 1st, 2nd and 3rd subject learning outcomes.

i. Find the monthly holding period returns for 2016 for National Australia Bank (NAB), BHP Billiton (BHP) and the market (MKT) as proxied by the All Ordinaries index. The monthly holding period return is the return you would receive if you bought an asset on the first day of the month (opening price) and sold it on the last day of the month (closing price).

Using Excel, graph your % return results on one graph with returns on the y axis and time on the x axis to enable comparison between options. (Use 'Close' rather than 'Adjusted Close' for the selling price.) Note: Opening price MUST equal previous month closing price .

ii. For each investment, what is the average monthly holding period return?

iii. For each investment, what is the annual holding period return?

iv. Calculate the standard deviation of the monthly rates of return for each share and the market .

v. Using Excel plot your results from (iii) and (iv) above with risk on the x axis and return on the y axis.

vi. If the 10 year government bond rate is 2.95% and the long term return on the market is 6.5%, assuming the beta (ß) for NAB is 1.23 and for BHP is 0.90, use the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to find the expected returns for NAB and BHP.

vii. Construct and graph the Security Market Line (SML) showing where NAB and BHP lie.

viii. Based on your findings construct a portfolio made up of 30% CBA and 70% RIO. Calculate the estimated return and ß for this portfolio.

ix. Based on your understanding of the CAPM and the SML, which of these asset(s) or portfolio(s) would you invest in and which would you not invest in. Explain your choice.