Flood Levy Poll

[Moulded Souls]

internet is a luxury, not a need.

Try telling that to the people of Nth Queensland who are losing all their basic services and means of communication as we speak.

Or to the people of Egypt who had it switched off the other day when Murabak started cracking down on the protestors.

Obama is attempting to get the 'kill' switch too. it's something we should all be concerned about.

 

[Tigers of Old]

What is a disgrace is the Libs fundraising funds to fight the Flood Levy tax while Queensland gets battered by Yasi.

http://www.email.swordcdc.com/t/ViewEmail/r/E0C4E554D2379407/F090A796BD06A087F6A1C87C670A6B9F

So tacky.

Well said Scooper.

 

[jb03]

I'm no fan of Gillard but I don't get the objection to the Flood Levy. Think it is a good idea.

Plus as a bonus some of those loopy green policies and ideas of the ALP have been shelved.

 

[MB78]

Plus as a bonus some of those loopy green policies and ideas of the ALP have been shelved.

Well said.

I'm happy to pay the levy tax but please ALP don't allow the Green's to have a say in where it goes as they will waste the funds.

 

[RemoteTiger]

We are Australians we look after each other - don't give a @#$ if you are a Bushranger, Banana Bender, Crow Eater, Sandgroper, Apple Islander, Territorian or Cockroach - your Australian and if you need a hand up and I'm capable of helping then here is my hand!

Forget the politics think of the flag.......................

 

[Streak]

I certainly don't mind paying a levy, but I am not convinced that an increase in the Medicare levy is the way to do it. I know quite a few people who minimise their tax through funny arrangements and don't pay a Medicare levy, yet earn a hell of a lot more than I do.

Why not raise the GST by say 0.5%, or by whatever figure is appropriate. Most of us wouldn't even notice it, but imagine how much money it would raise.

 

[ZeroGame]

Try telling that to the people of Nth Queensland who are losing all their basic services and means of communication as we speak.

Or to the people of Egypt who had it switched off the other day when Murabak started cracking down on the protestors.

Obama is attempting to get the 'kill' switch too. it's something we should all be concerned about.

Those silly enough to stay behind don't need fast internet, they need food & shelter, two of the basic needs of the human race. The NBN isn't going to stop them losing communication during a natural disaster either.

Ironically, having the single NBN that runs the majority of the countries internet will make it far easier for the government to hit the kill switch and take it offline

 

[Elmer]

Forget the politics think of the flag.......................

God save the Queen, and God save the British empire. ;D

 

[Rosy]

Not sure of the exact amount but a once of $80 or so out of $100,000 income isn't exactly massive. I wonder how many who are dead against the levy chose to use the stimulous handout from the Govt, designed to help kickstart the economy, for their own personal benefit.

 

[Merveille]

I've donated and will pay the tax willingly.

What a guy..

 

[ZeroGame]

Not sure of the exact amount but a once of $80 or so out of $100,000 income isn't exactly massive. I wonder how many who are dead against the levy chose to use the stimulous handout from the Govt, designed to help kickstart the economy, for their own personal benefit.

As someone who is against the levy, I didn't get the handout

 

[evo]

I've donated and will pay the tax willingly.

Me too

What he said

Governments can always get the hoi polloi to pay ever more tax. They just have to sell it right.

We are Australians we look after each other - don't give a @#$ if you are a Bushranger, Banana Bender, Crow Eater, Sandgroper, Apple Islander, Territorian or Cockroach - your Australian and if you need a hand up and I'm capable of helping then here is my hand!

Forget the politics think of the flag.......................

... and anyone who objects is just downright unAustralian!!!

 

[evo]

I think in this instance it is economically lazy of the government -

"Opportunistic" is a better word, IMO.

 

[pahoffm]

Ah well, certainly a level up from merely getting a speeding fine for being 5km above the speed limit.

 

[Azza]

The levy rankles for me, and I'm not sure exactly why. The amount for me isn't an issue, it's relatively minor and less than the amount I've already donated.

I think it comes down to the principle of the thing. We pay our taxes under the assumption that that's the amount considered reasonable to govern the country. Responsible government SHOULD make do with that, including planning for unexpected costs. If something really massive comes along, it should be resolved through borrowing and repaying within the context of the current and successive budget(s). As has been said, it's just laziness to slap on an added levy (and this is a criticism of both the liblabs).

Worse, the levy can be seen as exploiting the sympathy people feel for Qlders in order to do a bit of money raising for the govt coffers. Costellos article today is revealing - 'As Rahm Emanuel, former chief-of-staff to the US President, Barack Obama, said: ''Never let a serious crisis go to waste.'' And flood is a serious crisis when you want to raise taxes."'

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/flood-tax-a-slap-in-the-face-for-those-who-dug-deep-20110202-1adoj.html

Clearly Howard used this principle to effectively raise taxes after the Port Arthur shootings and the during East Timor incident. The government (arguably) did the right thing in both cases and gained qudos for doing so, at the same time allowing Australians to feel good about ourselves. The hidden agenda was the (admittedly one-off) tax hike leveraged off that good feeling.

 

[Big Cat Lover]

Julia should be using the results of the PRE poll for propoganda purposes - "survey(*) shows majority of Aust support our flood levy tax"

Why not the "locust tax", "hail tax", "earthquake tax"?

Shoot, why don't we just pool all our income and let the government provide the lot?

(*) sample of 50 peanuts from PRE ;D

 

[Rosy]

Why not the "locust tax", "hail tax", "earthquake tax"?

You don't see the difference in a one off levy due to the natural disasters that have devastated sections of our country and it's people compared to an earthquake tax for something that hasn't even happened?

 

[Giardiasis]

Not sure of the exact amount but a once of $80 or so out of $100,000 income isn't exactly massive. I wonder how many who are dead against the levy chose to use the stimulous handout from the Govt, designed to help kickstart the economy, for their own personal benefit.

The tax really won't change anything, it is just a sock the rich exercise the ALP love. Not sure what point you are trying to get at with your last sentence, wasn't that the whole point of the hand out? Didn't the government want you to spend the money for you own personal benefit? Perhaps you mean they didn't spend it and used it to pay off debt. Well sheesh you can hardly blame people for wanting to secure their finances in such a climate. Most of the people that are dead against the levy will most likely debate the validity of the claim that borrowing money to give away free money is a good way to kick start the economy.

We are Australians we look after each other - don't give a @#$ if you are a Bushranger, Banana Bender, Crow Eater, Sandgroper, Apple Islander, Territorian or Cockroach - your Australian and if you need a hand up and I'm capable of helping then here is my hand!

Forget the politics think of the flag.......................

Anyone that argues that the tax is Australia's way of contributing is ignoring the fact that the majority of Australians won't pay the tax.

 

[Rosy]

Didn't the government want you to spend the money for you own personal benefit? Perhaps you mean they didn't spend it and used it to pay off debt. Well sheesh you can hardly blame people for wanting to secure their finances in such a climate.

Another perhaps is that your sheesh isn't related to what I said.

 

[Giardiasis]

Another perhaps is that your sheesh isn't related to what I said.

I had to fill in the blanks because it didn't make sense to me. Can you please tell me what you meant, if not people saving rather than spending?