The cuts will give many Canberrans an immediate saving when they lodge their return for 2018-19, taking into account cuts passed last year, and the legislation that was expected to pass the Senate on Thursday.

The initial changes will benefit middle and lower income earners the most, with a cut worth up to $1080 for those earning between $37,001 and $90,000 compared to their 2017-18 tax bills, and up to $255 for those who earned up to $37,000 in 2018-19.

Those on more than $90,000 will get a maximum saving of $1080 compared to 2017-18 tax paid, an offset which gradually falls to nothing for those on $126,000 or more in 2018-19.

In the following five years the tax reforms will come in the form of changes to brackets to benefit mostly high income earners, which will ultimately cost $95 billion by 2029-30.

On the ground, some Canberrans were unaware of the looming tax cuts, despite the central role they played in the Coalition's election campaign. Anita Stevenson from McGregor said she doubted the potential $1080 bonus at tax time would make much difference to her budget, and she was never in the right tax bracket.

Alex Amburger from Belconnen said the money would be better spent on health, and that with the Rudd government's stimulus package, she bought a new handbag, but with record levels of household debt, she now planned to pay some off. "It seems like a waste of money," she said.

But Kate from the Molonglo Valley, who works part-time but asked for her last name to be withheld, said the cuts were well overdue and believed it would help address bracket creep, and given high income earners still had money to spend it could stimulate the economy.

"But I don't like all the horse-trading that's gone on to get it done," she said.

Another part-time worker, Brenton Warren, said the cuts were unlikely to benefit him to any great degree, and he believed the government should instead be spending the money on health, education and childcare. The final stage of cuts could still be repealed.