Australia’s richest and poorest postcodes revealed in taxation statistics

Australia’s richest live in harbourside Sydney and earn more than eight times the nation’s poorest, who live in rural NSW, Tax Office statistics show.

The latest Taxation Statistics for 2012-13, based on information people report in their tax returns, again highlights the enormous pay gap between the nation’s richest and poorest – there’s an average (mean) income difference of $155,823 between the richest postcode (2027) and poorest postcode (2403).

A total of 5980 Australia’s highest earners fell within postcode 2027, which takes in Edgecliff, Rushcutters Bay, Darling Point and Point Piper in Sydney. It took the number one spot in 2011-12 as well. In this area, which falls within Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s electorate of Wentworth, the average taxable income was $177,514.

In the poorest area, postcode 2403 in rural NSW, takes in Myall Creek – the site of the massacre in 1838 where 30 unarmed indigenous Australians were murdered – as well as Delungra and Gragin. Here there were 350 people and the average taxable income was $21,691.

The information, based on the returns of 12.77 million taxpayers, does not account for people in the cash economy or with money sitting in offshore tax havens. But it does take into account tax breaks such as negative gearing when assessing average taxable income.

The data also shows the nation’s highest earning professions. The top 10 included 3570 surgeons with average taxable income of $361,202.

The next highest earning professions were 3015 anaesthetists with average taxable income of $319,033; 7525 “internal medicine specialists” (diagnosing internal disorders) with taxable income of $263,601; 5090 financial dealers with average income of $219,213 and 2645 judicial and other legal professionals with an income of $192,189.

The remaining top 10 included psychiatrists, mining engineers, “other medical practitioners”, chief executives and managing directors and “generalist medical practitioners”.

In terms of postcodes, six of the top 10 richest were in inner and eastern Sydney, three were in Victoria, and one was in Perth.

The nation’s second richest postcode was the town of St Andrews in Victoria, which sits north-east of Melbourne. It’s the first time it has made the top 10, and given 655 people fell within the ATO’s data there, it’s possible the average ($148,967) is pulled up by one wealthy person. The ATO would not confirm this, saying it does not disclose information on individual taxpayers.

The third richest postcode nationally in 2013 was 2023, the eastern Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill. There were 6945 people who lodged returns in this area, and the average taxable income was $143,112. In fourth place was postcode 6011 in Perth. It took in the suburbs of Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove, where average incomes were about $142,504, and 6610 individuals were included. The fifth was the Melbourne suburbs of Hawksburn and Toorak, which typically makes the top 10, and average income was $142,000.

In terms of the poorest postcodes in 2013, seven are in regional NSW, two are in Queensland (4613 and 4626) and one is in Victoria (3637). This is a slight change from 2012, when five of the 10 poorest postcodes were in Victoria.

The second poorest postcode in the nation is 2359, which takes in Aberdeen, Bakers Creek and Bundarra. Here the average income is $24,742. The third poorest is 2361, taking in villages of Ashford, Atholdwood, Bonshaw, Limestone and Pindaroi. Here the average income is $25,431.

The ATO has tweaked the way it reports the data, making comparisons with 2012 data difficult, but income levels remain roughly the same, although there has been a slight increase in taxable income in line with inflation.

The most charitable region in the nation was the ACT – with 109,121 people claiming $62.7 million in deductible gifts and donations. The average claimed in ACT per person was $575. Overall $2.3 billion worth of gifts and donations were claimed nationally, with the average claimed per individual totalling $504.