Anyone else hear this on the news this morning? I can't find a link to it anywhere. Federal ALP Senator Doug Cameron is proposing a Medicare-style levy (on your annual ATO tax return) to fund a $50/week increase in the Newstart allowance. My blood started to boil when I heard this. Medicare levy Flood levy Dole levy Oh, and isn't 'Newstart' such an Orwellian newspeak term.
F#*@ that. I when the voting majority are net recipients, the productive minority will be royally screwed.
Just what the nation needs. More reason to stay on welfare, and less money in the pockets of those who are productive. The Labor Party is nothing more than a sheltered workshop for those who are too inept to function in the real world.
Why not just raise the dole but cut it off to long term unemployed with ability to work but choose not to? Would fund itself and provide benefits for all parties long term.
An "hypothecated" tax. Perhaps all taxes should be hypothecated, then we woud have some transparency. But this is telling ... There is only one circumstance in which promising tax increases before an election isn't risky and that's when there are more welfare recipients voting than income earning tax payers. It's probably the case, but it would definitely be the case once all government funded employees are removed from the equation.
It's the mindset of that sort of journalist that gets my goat. He's an immoral classist prick who is too gutless to go into his neighbours house, take $400 out of his wallet and give it to the people down the road that he thinks are needy. Instead he argues the Government should walk in and steal the $400 because his neighbours income is "disproportionate to need". Wealth generators should be treated better by Government than they are. Yes, taxation churn is totally ridiculous and should be abolished. The fact that there are a significant number of "middle-class" tax payers who fork out $30,000 in tax only to have some bureaucrats and accountants churn a couple of thousand straight back (but take a percentage for the cost of churning it) is a disgusting waste of resources. Argue against churn of the same people's money back to themselves do not argue against giving it back to the people paying the taxes in the first place. Don't take it in the first place.
Ha Ha! As I approach my twilight years I will start voting Labor. Not this time but 2016 maybe. If you can't earn it, you may as well vote for it.
I bet that argument doesn't hold water when ALL taxes are included. e.g. GST, fuel levies, ... etc. Define "more in benefits than they pay in".
I think the article should have said "John Watson", "Senior Socialist Writer". Nothing like nailing your colors to the mast.
