Editorial: Oh, What a Beginning to 2020

Welcome to our first issue of 'Australian Tax Review' for 2020. A lot has changed since our fourth issue of 2019. Few could have predicted how much our world would transform in a few short months. As we write this editorial, no doubt readers are wondering what the world in general, and the tax landscape specifically, will look like in the future. The headlines for months now have been about the fight against COVID-19, Government rescue packages, and an imminent recession. Travel for nearly all has ceased, while stay-at-home directives and social distancing are the new norms. The world has been transformed and a new normal is yet to be established. To date, tax has not been a leading factor in economic discussions, rather, in Australia like most jurisdictions, the focus has been on ensuring a basic income for those who find themselves without any financial means of support