With the Turnbull government raising expectations of personal income tax cuts in the forthcoming budget, the question is whether it can deliver a cut that does not disappoint in both size and quality.

Forward estimates prepared as recently as six months ago suggest any income tax cuts will be of the ‘hamburger and milkshake’ size, to hark back to the phrase made popular by after Amanda Vanstone’s efforts to talk up a tiny small tax cut in 2003.