tssk
New Member
Posts: 45
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Post by tssk on May 22, 2013 20:42:11 GMT 10
OK I could never have predicted this. www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/coalition-plan-to-split-aggressive-tax-office-20130522-2k0ou.html"The Coalition has signalled it may break up the Australian Taxation Office if it wins government, to ensure a "more independent" resolution of tax disputes. In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said that the ATO had developed an "insular and inward-looking culture that has put it at odds with taxpayers". He also said the tax office had an "overly aggressive" interpretation of tax laws. "When there is a dispute over an audit, the ATO can often seem to go through the motions, rather than objectively reconsidering the taxpayer's position," he said." Oh. My. God. This would be funny if it wasn't so....
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Post by jack on May 22, 2013 21:13:52 GMT 10
He also said the tax office had an "overly aggressive" interpretation of tax laws.
That's genuinely funny. You either administer a law - "go through the motions" - or you don't. If not, then repeal or change it. If you're going to slacken off on enforcing compliance, then you've written off X million dollars of the Commonwealth's lawful revenue.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on May 23, 2013 9:14:02 GMT 10
"He also said the tax office had an "overly aggressive" interpretation of tax laws"
It seems that we have a tea-party demographic in our wide brown land.
The libs aren't going to muzzle the tax office.
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Post by chookmustard on May 23, 2013 18:25:41 GMT 10
I'd like to,know more about Tony and his fascination with Edmund Bourke. What's the connection? Look, there is even an Edmund Burke club! edmundburkesclub.org.au/ So if he sacks 30000 public servants and hires 15000 Green Army people, who is going to administer these low paid workers? Are they public servants too or sub contractors? 15000 people will need something to do, has Tony and Greg Hunt lined up a crapload of tree planting to begin in October this year? Who is supplying the millions of seedlings for this tree planting adventure? Are the trees to be planted suitable for long term co2 capture? I'm interested in the environmental side of the Libs policy as I work in this area. Andrew Elder has some good points I think ! This, from January andrewelder.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/evaporating-in-heat.htmlI've worked at several sites now where carbon capturing tree planting has taken place, by power companies or other corporations. Typically, after a year or so most plants are dead (lack of watering or eaten). So basically a waste of time and money and an exercise in PR. Is that what Tony and Greg's gazillion tree planting exercise is meant to achieve?
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tssk
New Member
Posts: 45
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Post by tssk on Jun 6, 2013 18:12:33 GMT 10
100 days to go. Do you think the Libs will have an attack of hubris or will they be smart and wait until they have their mandate?
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Jun 6, 2013 18:33:09 GMT 10
"100 days to go. Do you think the Libs will have an attack of hubris or will they be smart and wait until they have their mandate?"
I reckon the main spokespeople will go to ground a couple of weeks before the poll and let their friends in the press handle everything.
At the local level there will be the usual collection of casually racist/sexist statements, stupid pamphlettes, that sort of thing.
I think people are going to be a bit startled to discover what they've voted for. It won't be their fault - they are probably assuming that they're being informed by the stuff they read.
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Post by chookmustard on Jun 6, 2013 21:08:34 GMT 10
Judging by the guys I work with (former union guys), they hate Gillard because of the 'backstabbing' of Rudd. They won't vote Labor, or at least not vote at all. The other guys aren't even on the roll, and not likely to be (not inspired). Labor are done. IMHO. Libs would need to do something really bad (murder baby seals) to lose.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Jun 7, 2013 8:16:27 GMT 10
"they hate Gillard because of the 'backstabbing' of Rudd"
I know a few people who genuinely feel that way. Family, too. It's not just something they've picked up from the papers, either - they really didn't like that. I don't know if it's because rudd was necessarily seen as likeable, or because gillard's a woman, or what.
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Post by jack on Jun 7, 2013 10:23:14 GMT 10
"Labor are done."
I guess it remains to be seen whether a majority of Australians are the credulous cretins all the Limited News shills seem to believe they are.
I'm seeing unexpected signs to the contrary among acquaintances I wouldn't have pegged as being all that 'political'. Granted, not much of a statistical sample, but it must gnaw at the souls (if they had any) of the News £td hacks to know there are people out there beyond their reach.
Nah. There could yet be some unpleasant surprises for Murdoch's poison pens.
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zoot
Junior Member
Posts: 58
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Post by zoot on Jun 7, 2013 16:49:33 GMT 10
I must admit to grimly holding on to my fantasy that Gillard can still win, just so I can see Rupert's, Bolt's and Abbott's heads explode.
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Post by chookmustard on Jun 7, 2013 17:42:18 GMT 10
Another hung parliament would be hilarious
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Jun 7, 2013 20:28:41 GMT 10
"just so I can see Rupert's, Bolt's and Abbott's heads explode"
Not a chance. They won't let that happen. If the polls even begin to close in the lead-up to the election, the entire news stable will resort to outright defamation. In the staggeringly unlikely event that the ALP wins government, rupert's newspapers are worth precisely nothing, and will have been a waste of all that money poured in by the other parts of the conglomerate.
But I don't think it'll come to that. Three years of just shy of outright defamation has done the trick.
Of course, rupert's papers are still loss-making political pamphlets, but at least they're not a laughing stock as well.
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Post by jack on Jun 7, 2013 20:54:11 GMT 10
Heads WILL explode if there's anything short of a comprehensive LNP victory.
There's still an outside chance of another hung parliament. Somewhat better chance of a lower house with some kind of meaningful ALP + Green + X-bench opposition. Or a Tonez govt with a hostile senate.
I don't think that's excessively wishful thinking, but I do confess to a partiality for parliamentarians having to sweat for the privilege of leading this flat brown land, as they have these last few years.
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zoot
Junior Member
Posts: 58
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Post by zoot on Jun 7, 2013 23:02:00 GMT 10
Realistically I guess my best hope is for another hung parliament. Watching Abbott sell his arse for the Prime Ministership would be hugely entertaining.
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Post by Matthew Of Canberra on Jun 8, 2013 10:27:53 GMT 10
"as they have these last few years"
I agree. I don't think we've seen our parliamentarians work so hard before. Cabinet actually doesn't know in advance whether its legislation will pass. Even when they've got an agreed vote from both major parties, the inability of government to carry a vote by itself means it can still be scuppered at the last minute. I think it's been brilliant, and I'd like to see it continue.
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