Intergenerational equity: issues of principal in the allocation of social resources between this generation and the next

The Commonwealth government\u27s 2002-03 Intergenerational Report is one in a series of reports required by the Charter of Budget Honesty Act. While there are differing opinions as to the accuracy of the fiscal projections made in the report and the appropriateness of the policy responses it favours, there is also more fundamental point of contention in the arguments of the report: the question of what is wrong or problematic about future generations facing a greater tax burden or a greater level of public debt, than we do (in the circumstances projected in the report). These are philosophical questions that engage ethical concerns about distributive fairness and justice, and the nature of our moral obligations to future generations