Federal Coalition Government 2013-?

[Ruggo]

Announced by whom outside the media and other bloggers. When it becomes a law via legislation or is submitted in the budget it is only rumour flamed by the opposition.

The others are not broken yet as parliament still has some time to run. They may get through the new senate. If not then in year 3 as I have said before it will provide Abbott not only with a double dissolution trigger but a means to bash Bill or his successor with the argument that ALP is still out of touch and doesn't give a rats about the outcome of the last election or the people's will.

You speak as if the Coalition got 100% of the vote. Before you role out the "mandate" line, keep in mind the only mandate they got from being elected is to govern in the lower house.

They just might have to put some effort into negotiating their policies through the upper house like so many governments of the past.

This government is not showing the maturity to govern.

Oh and just a little reminder. The ALP is not in government so no point in turning your response towards them which is your proven MO.

 

[Runner]

You speak as if the Coalition got 100% of the vote. Before you role out the "mandate" line, keep in mind the only mandate they got from being elected is to govern in the lower house.

They just might have to put some effort into negotiating their policies through the upper house like so many governments of the past.

This government is not showing the maturity to govern.

Oh and just a little reminder. The ALP is not in government so no point in turning your response towards them which is your proven MO.

53%.

Upper house was only half senate.

ALP 21% in WA indicates that overthere the crap in the senate about the mining tax and carbon tax means something to that electorate. I am happy to wait and watch it unfold.

Sorry the mandate argument may not mean much to you but as I have said

ALP is still out of touch and doesn't give a rats about the outcome of the last election or the people's will.

The ALP does have a role in government, because as you point out they with the Greens control the senate.

 

[Bullrush]

ALP is still out of touch and doesn't give a rats about the outcome of the last election or the people's will.

No more so than the LNP I would say

 

[Braveheart81]

ALP is still out of touch and doesn't give a rats about the outcome of the last election or the people's will.

The ALP does have a role in government, because as you point out they with the Greens control the senate.

Surely the ALP and the Greens have an obligation to respect the will of the voters who supported them.

Does the ALP become less out of touch by bowing to the wishes of Coalition voters and turning their back on their remaining supporters? I'd argue they don't.

I'd also argue that looking at Labor's primary vote is misleading. As much as the LNP is a formal Coalition and has always aggregated the primary vote of the Liberals and Nationals, you can aggregate the primary votes of the ALP and Greens. That is why on a 2PP basis it is still pretty close despite an historically low primary vote for the ALP.

After July, we're going to see how an Abbott/Palmer government works because that is what it effectively will be.

 

[boyo]

And TA said that he would not form government with a minor party. Well, guess what? The National Party is a minor party.

 

[boyo]

Tony Abbott's deficit levy will make a taxing issue even worse

EDITORIAL

Deficit levy: the job of leaders is to lead debate, not jump at quick fixes after being caught in a tight a political corner. Photo: Andrew Meares​

​

Let there be no bones about it. A levy, temporary or otherwise, is a tax, and if the Abbott government goes ahead with such a measure on middle- and high-income earners, it will be a shoddy way of trying to repair the budget, and will do little to improve the productivity of our economy.
The political hypocrisy of Prime Minister Tony Abbott contemplating such a tax, after explicit promises of no new taxes and three years of lashing Julia Gillard over her broken carbon tax pledge, is breathtaking. But it is more serious than this.
The Australian Industry Group and other business leaders are already warning that lifting tax rates will slow the economy.
"The business community completely understands that the government has a very hard job ahead of it to get us back into surplus over the longer term, but a one-off debt levy on people who are working, who are contributing to our economy, who are spending at a time when our economy is already fragile, we think is deeply problematic," the group's chief executive Innes Willox warned.
"The impact on economic growth would be clearly negative and equal to the amount of the tax taken out of the economy," economist Stephen Koukoulas said. "The debt tax is as good as an interest rate hike – or two."
Treasurer Joe Hockey has spent the last few months talking up an air of crisis before his first budget on Tuesday week. There are some long-term structural problems facing this nation, driven by an aging population and past policies of spending the dividends from the mining boom as if they would flow forever.
But to argue it is an urgent crisis is hyperbole. A comparison of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries with Australia shows we are in the relatively luxurious position of enjoying stable, if slightly below-trend, growth and relatively low net government debt to gross domestic product.
According to the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook released this month, Australia's general government net debt as a percentage of GDP stood at 13 per cent last year, and will rise to just under 20 per cent by 2019 on a do-nothing basis. Compare this with Germany, which has net debt as a percentage of GDP of 53 per cent, the United Kingdom 84.5 per cent, the USA 82 per cent and Canada at 39 per cent. And Japan and many EU countries have net debt well over 100 per cent of GDP.
The government is right to review spending and seek to wind back on unsustainable programs. But clearly Mr Hockey is finding the process of making the nicks and tucks as unpalatable as his predecessors. It is no wonder he has turned to the revenue side.
Chris Richardson, from Deloitte Access Economics, points out that after a decade of tax cuts under John Howard, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, personal income tax receipts were at 10.6 per cent of national income in 2012-13, well below the 11.2 per cent average over the last 25 years.
But good tax reform is about broadening the base of the tax system, making it pro-growth, making it simple, transparent and resilient, and doing away with inequity.
For a start, the government could dust off the review by former Treasury secretary Ken Henry. It includes a wealth of suggestions with an eye on a more efficient economy.
For example, if Mr Abbott wants to tax the rich more, he could tax all super contributions as income at the taxpayer's marginal rate, replacing the tax concessions with a flat-rate refundable tax offset. Tax concessions cost $13.5 billion to $16 billion a year. Most go to high-income earners. Or he should lead the debate about a broader-based goods and services tax at an increased rate, with appropriate compensation for those hurt by it.
That is the job of leaders: to lead debate, not jump at quick fixes after being caught in a tight a political corner.
As for Mr Abbott's insistence his government stick with his signature pre-election promise of a paid parental leave scheme, the question remains: can we afford it? Perhaps some may feel, as Mr Abbott does, that paid maternity leave in the form of a full wage for six months should be a workplace entitlement, like sick leave or annual leave. Instead Mr Abbott has proposed a 1.5 per cent levy on big business, supplemented by taxpayer funding.
But once taxpayer dollars became involved, it was inevitable there would be discussion about the $150,000 annual earnings cap and welfare for "millionaire mums". In the last 24 hours, the Prime Minister has signalled he may limit it to women on $100,000 or less. This would reduce the maximum payment to $50,000 a year.
But analysis shows this would have little impact on the cost of the scheme. Only one in fifty women of child-bearing age earns more than $100,000.
So what are the better alternatives? If Mr Abbott is serious about helping women balance work and family, then boosting affordable, accessible and high-quality childcare is the key. Just as important is encouraging a more flexible workplace culture, so women can genuinely make the difficult choices about how to balance work and family.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbotts-deficit-levy-will-make-a-taxing-issue-even-worse-20140430-zr1va.html#ixzz30QF6UZFT

(My bold.)

 

[Braveheart81]

After all the rhetoric from the Coalition that successfully destroyed the previous ALP government about taxes and lies, it seems like implementing a deficit tax possibly for several years could destroy them within a term.

It will be amazing and hilarious if the Coalition lose government at the next election.

 

[Runner]

And TA said that he would not form government with a minor party. Well, guess what? The National Party is a minor party.

Coalition not minority government.

 

[Runner]

After all the rhetoric from the Coalition that successfully destroyed the previous ALP government about taxes and lies, it seems like implementing a deficit tax possibly for several years could destroy them within a term.

It will be amazing and hilarious if the Coalition lose government at the next election.

He may implement the Henry review were ALP took 1 of 138 recommendations.

 

[boyo]

"If the government was a public company on the ASX and the CEO lied to its shareholders such as promising and then going back on the plans & promises they would not only be sacked but also called by ASIC to validate and possibly be charged legally - why is Abbott above all of this???"

​

Commenter
peter@epping
Location
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 10:18AM


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbotts-deficit-levy-will-make-a-taxing-issue-even-worse-20140430-zr1va.html#ixzz30QXhOsp8

 

[Braveheart81]

He may implement the Henry review were ALP took 1 of 138 recommendations.

The previous major tax review (the Asprey Review of 1975) took 25 years for the suggested reforms that were implemented to be finished.

Tax legislation, particularly changes that have significant impacts generally take a long time to implement because there are many repercussions to consider.

The fact that very little has been implemented from a review released in 2010 especially when we've had a change of government in 2013 is not surprising in the slightest.

You should expect the Henry Review to provide the basis for tax reform in Australia until 2030 or later.

 

[boyo]

"Abbott, Hockey and co are starting to realize that bullying from opposition is easy, but when it comes to the "heavy lifting" they're all hot air, and running around like headless chooks. Those comparative figures btween Australia, Britain Canada USA and other major economies show that "hot air" Hockey's bleating about the terrible mess he's inherited are just "bovine excretia", and coming from Hockey, no surprise. He specialises in big scare tactics. He's probably not up to the standard required to be the Nation's Treasurer.

Has Australian politics ever sunk as low as it has in the last few years?"​

​

Commenter​

Brian Harry
Location
Tweed Heads NSW
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 10:24AM


"It isn't such a bad thing that Government's have some debt... what is the alternative? Governments afraid to borrow money and everything becomes privatised.... joining the long list of failed Public-Private Partnership projects. I want the government to invest in infrastructure, and to invest in schools and hospitals, don't leave it to the private sector to operate motorway tunnels and airports, and the train lines to the airports.. the community loses out to companies just trying to make a profit (and those companies sometimes going insolvent- ie Sydney Tunnel)

Who wants to live in a society where "the best" of everything is so expensive that only the lucky few can afford it? I want a society where kids have access to great public education which is free, I want people to have access to great free healthcare, affordable public transport etc etc - that is only going to happen if Government's are prepared to be in debt sometime - and society accepts that is ok.​

When we buy a house- vast majority of us will take out a loan- and be in debt for 25+ years... but we expect the government to never be in debt - when it has to maintain schools, hospitals, infrastructure AND invest in new facilities? Come on.. be real."​

​

​

Commenter
Why so hung up.
Location
Sydney
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 10:29AM

"It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards."​

Tony Abbott - August 22, 2011​

​

​

Commenter
Aaron
Location
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 10:58AM

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbotts-deficit-levy-will-make-a-taxing-issue-even-worse-20140430-zr1va.html#ixzz30QeXsUH7

 

[boyo]

Well, looky here:-

Economists sceptical of Abbott's 'budget emergency'
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...tts-budget-emergency-20140430-zr1uo.html#poll

 

[Runner]

"If the government was a public company on the ASX and the CEO lied to its shareholders such as promising and then going back on the plans & promises they would not only be sacked but also called by ASIC to validate and possibly be charged legally - why is Abbott above all of this???"​

​

​

Commenter
peter@epping
Location
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 10:18AM


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/tony-abbotts-deficit-levy-will-make-a-taxing-issue-even-worse-20140430-zr1va.html#ixzz30QXhOsp8

Same applied to the previuos lot but worse. Good point to bring up as the Trade Prctices Act doesn't apply either

 

[boyo]

"It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards."

Tony Abbott - August 22, 2011

 

[Runner]

The previous major tax review (the Asprey Review of 1975) took 25 years for the suggested reforms that were implemented to be finished.

Tax legislation, particularly changes that have significant impacts generally take a long time to implement because there are many repercussions to consider.

The fact that very little has been implemented from a review released in 2010 especially when we've had a change of government in 2013 is not surprising in the slightest.

You should expect the Henry Review to provide the basis for tax reform in Australia until 2030 or later.

I get all that, but the ALP shelved ALL bar one of Henry's recommendationds. No mention of future efforst etc

Hancock also started in 1983 and recommended many changes to IR most of which were slowed implimented over 30 years till Gillard and Rudd took us back to 1996 legislation. Keating never forgave them

 

[boyo]

Hockeynomics strikes again.

Damn, where's the eleventy button?

 

[boyo]

Debt levy dripping with sweet irony for Tony Abbott

LETTERS

"Increase income tax and slash the subsidies to the very well off. That's the only broken promise I can forgive." Photo: Alex Ellinghausen​

​

Of course Tony Abbott and the Liberals would be breaking a promise if they introduced a tax levy on those earning over $80,000 (‘‘Tony Abbott’s honest pledge could founder on deficit ‘tax’ ’’, April 30). But so is cutting funding to pensioners, the disabled and the poor, the ABC, the environment and myriad other things the Liberals said were hands off.
There is no budget crisis; that is a creation of the Liberal Party and free market lobby groups. There is, however, a long-term shortfall with our taxation system caused by John Howard's tax breaks to the same upper and upper-middle income groups and the relative problem this causes to maintain a fair and decent society that cares for the less well off.
Increase income tax and slash the subsidies to the very well off. That's the only broken promise I can forgive.

Colin Hesse Marrickville

What's this, a great big new levy?

Donald Hawes Blayney

Call it what you will Tony Abbott, it still seems that if your proposed Debt Levy looks like a tax, sounds like a tax and even smells like a tax, chances are it probably is a tax.

Darren Barnett Winston Hills

It's a "deceit tax" not a "deficit tax", says the Opposition. No, it's a "Swan tax". But for Wayne Swan's incompetence, no new tax would be needed.

George Fishman Vaucluse

Such sweet irony. For decades, the Coalition and its mouthpieces have bombarded voters with the message they should pay less tax and blame Labor for their woes. Now it’s all coming in on them and they’ll have to resort to weasel words such as levy, impost or duty to camouflage the taxes they must introduce to avoid Australia sinking.
On a micro level, the deficit could be reduced by clawing back some politicians’ remuneration. If the evidence before ICAC is correct, it appears many do little if anything for the public during office hours, as they’re so busy wheeling and dealing for private gain. We are not getting a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay from them and as Geoffrey Watson, SC, said, something has to change.

Howard Charles Glebe'

Australia does need a tax to deal with a looming crisis that will be borne by future generations if it is not addressed now. It is generally referred to as the Carbon Tax. It is this generation's small contribution to the future of our children and grandchildren. The proposed "temporary debt reduction levy" is, to use a phrase so beloved by our Prime Minister, just the Liberal Government's Great Big New Tax.

Tony Judge Belconnen (ACT)

OK, I see how it works, now. If Julia Gillard does it, it's a lie. If Tony Abbott does it, it's a levy.

Alex Springall Westleigh

Given the outrage over the debt levies and unfair maternity leave, here's hoping the voters' double disillusion leads to a parliamentary double dissolution. Out goes the Prime Minister, forever to be known as "temporary Tony".

Tim Wilson Lapstone

Oh, Tony Abbott: a tax is a tax is a tax! No, no, no: you promised in the election no new taxes. The Australian public are holding you to this. If you could lambast Julia Gillard over this very same issue then any new tax equals your resignation. No discussion.

Phil O'Donnell Bondi

So if we get a ‘temporary’ deficit levy will it only be a temporary broken electoral promise then?

Brian Collins Cronulla

A great big new non-core promise from the grown-ups.

Roger Cooper Boambee East

At his campaign launch for the 2013 election, Tony Abbott promised that “We will be a no surprises, no excuses government, because you are sick of nasty surprises and lame excuses”. He also said, “I won't let you down. This is my pledge to you.” So now that he has misled Australian voters, is he going to do a Barry O’Farrell?

Glen op den Brouw Liverpool


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/debt-levy-dripping-with-sweet-irony-for-tony-abbott-20140430-zr1qy.html#ixzz30RMyGKv0

 

[Braveheart81]

One Term Tony might not even survive one term.

I'm betting Clive Palmer would love to be known as the guy who caused a double dissolution once the new Senate convenes.

 

[boyo]

Same applied to the previuos lot but worse. Good point to bring up as the Trade Prctices Act doesn't apply either

Like the carbon tax under the Gillard government - the amount of money isn't all that much, but the anger won't be about the money. It will be about the principle that a government will so blatantly go back on its word.​

If a company director put out a prospectus as misleading as election promises are, they'd be in jail. We need a mechanism that makes political promises legally enforcable.​

It's not about a 1% tax. It's about the credibility of the political system.​

​

​

Commenter
Michael S
Location
Toongabbie, NSW
Date and time
May 01, 2014, 11:42AM


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-moves-to-quell-mps-deficit-tax-anger-20140430-zr1w0.html#ixzz30RphVyuD