Who is the one Australian with over $500 million in superannuation!?
New data from the ATO, compiled by the Sydney Morning Herald, has revealed that there are 27 Australians fortunate enough to have $100m in their superannuation savings.
A graph circulating online announced that in 2019 over 300,000 Australians had over $1m in their superannuation funds, with a staggering 11,000 people reported to have over $5m.
One individual noted that the figures, which were from 2019, were shocking but actually may be even larger in 2023, writing, “these are pre-pandemic numbers so I'd guess the top few numbers on this list have grown somewhat.”
However, it isn’t mere jealousy from the average citizen that has prompted a flurry of online activity over the figures, but instead one small detail in the findings: one extravagantly wealthy Australian is sitting on a balance of more than $544m.
And as with all things on social media, a discussion quickly broke out, with many speculating exactly whose name could be attached to the standout account.
Mining magnate and Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart’s name was thrown about, as well as that of Australia’s seventh richest, Clive Palmer. Kerry Stokes, Peter Dutton, Gerry Harvey, and everyone’s favourite “data error” were also strong contenders for the people of Twitter.
And one cheeky commenter had their own guess to share, telling the others that “it’s Alan Joyce’s 9% employer contribution since he became Qantas CEO.”
Another didn’t think it would be quite so easy, reminding everyone that “there are quite a few candidates. There are 49 billionaires in Australia according to Forbes.”
Many in the comment section of the tweet were on board with the recent updates announced for superannuation funds, with one writing of the $544m account holder, “one of 11128 people who could easily afford to pay a bit more tax.”
“For most people,” said another, “even having $1m is an impossible dream.”
“27 people have over $100 million in super. 1 person has $544 million. Last week I had to buy groceries with my credit card,” one wrote, before asking the question, “What happened to the lucky country?”
Data suggests that the average superannuation balance for people aged between 60 and 64 is $157.925 ($178,800 for men and $137,050 for women), a sum that barely puts a dent in the savings of the super rich.
“This information makes it clear that no one will lose an election over Super tax concession reform,” commented one individual with strong feelings on the matter, “the politicians who are defending this divisive tax minimisation are obviously the ones who fear losing large donations from the few in their voter base affected.”
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