I have seen documents that all State Premiers signed in 99 that by 2005 after the GST was introduced, many State Taxes would be abolished.
To Date Nothing !
They Continue to administer Cancer Via Land Tax's and Payroll Tax and Higher Stamp Duty even after they were advised by the Henry Tax review that they are inefficient. They all conveniently ignored that one and used the GFC as an excuse to do Nothing.
Land tax if applied fairly across all homes and investment Residential properties of even $100 a year would actually net the States more money and free up the investment sector. It would also put less pressure on Rents. It can stay on commercial properties as it is actually baked into the cake with leases and that sector has seemed to absorb this rort. 1 Premier told me it was Political Suicide. I beg to differ. Why ?? Well people who own at least 1 property and have taken the plunge in ownership, will always IMO have aspirations to buy a second or a holiday house somewhere. The Land Tax they would have to pay on the Holiday Home or investment flat could be in the thousands a year. This stops many many people. I own an investment property. It's value is around 550k but the land is valued at 380k. The land tax is $5700 a year. The Gross rent I collect is $18,200. Now take out Interest, Rates, Water, Maintenance, Loss of Rent, Agents commission, etc , etc. They don't look at that. They don't care what my LVR is or my losses. They have no Idea if it is debt free, but the way they charge, they are assuming it is leased 100% of the time, the tenant pays for all maintenance and I have no debt. If someone owned and lived in this home they would collect $0. If I rented and owned this investment property, they would collect a few hundred a year. If my wife owned our house and I owned the investment property I would pay a few hundred. But if I bought 1 more I would pay $5700 on that one and every one after that. HOW BLOODY STUPID !!!!!! On this property I am paying 31% of my rent to the Land Tax office every year. You don't want to be late with those P....S.
Seriously, why isn't this voiced and complained about more in the media. Or is it dummied down for them ??
This should be abolished IMMEDIATELY.
Payroll Tax is at a level that has been for years but only marginally increased for inflation. Real inflation on food prices in the retail sector has not been accounted for. This has been lobbied by the Big Boys to keep the little guys hurting. Especially how business's have changed and are forced to increase their turnover by working on very small margins to attract customers is the only way to survive. The figure where payroll tax kicks in is so low it absurd. Even a decent Fruit Shop these days or Gourmet Grocer can do a Turnover of $10mill a year and be forced uncompetitive with Payroll Tax. These Bozo's just don't understand.
IMO, Payroll Tax should kick in at $50mill turnover a year. I went to Woolies the other day. They had all registers closed and we were forced to go through those new tills where you have to scan yourself and Pack. 1 Girl was looking after 10 tills. Disgraceful!! There was a line of at least 15 people. This is one of the Highest Turnover Woolies in the State and the Highest Net Profit I believe.
Re GST on Necessities, It may be introduced on some on the list below but I doubt fresh Bread and Fruit'n'Veg, seafood and meat. There is a problem. This industry has Perishables, eg: returns(Bread), and Fruiterers have huge loss's of produce as it is a perishable product and much of it is destroyed sitting on the shelf and goes off when in storage. Much of it is sometimes bought cheap at the markets because it is bought at a discount as it wont last long which in turn is put on special. How can GST be policed in this industry when there is so much perishable product going in the bin. I guess Seafood and Meat falls into this category. Milk I guess has a fixed shelf life but is a every day necessity and they would have to deal with the dairy union LOL. I guess a lot of other foods made it on the list below due to heavy Gov Lobbying at the time from certain Industries. This is probably what they want to clean up. Many were scared at the time when it was being introduced and probably would be able to live with it now. GST in many Countries is 20% plus.
It has been Touted that if GST was raised to 15% in Australia we would not need to do personal Tax Returns !! as the Gov would be able to collect their taxes more efficiently. Imagine the behind doors lobbying by Accounting firms, Office Works, Reflex paper, MYOB etc, etc LOL..
No wonder no one wants to pay personal tax and the Gov was lax about it in Greece as they have a GST over 20%. I wouldn't want to pay personal tax either.
Gov Lobbyist is what is actually Killing Australia from evolving. EG. If OSRAM, Nelson or Phillips couldn't make energy efficient Globes we would still have the old Light globes thanks to Gov Lobbyists!! Funny that the energy efficient flouro's were contaminating our Land fill sites with Mercury pre Led Globes. Must of been some good Gov Lobbyists there to get the sale of those globes approved. The actual damage done world wide with Mercury contamination from these globes is way worse off to the carbon saved. The Carbon argument is a hoax and just an excuse to Tax us more. The last 2 Volcanic eruptions that stopped flights around the world actually emitted more carbon in the atmosphere than all of humanity has ever done. I won't go further on this subject. All it took was for the oceans to have a few major Plankton Blooms and the Carbon was taken to the bottom of the seabed and will probably be extracted as Oil in a few Million years if we manage to blow ourselves up and start all over again, hence still using fossil fuels.
The following foods are GST-free:
Bread and bread rolls without a sweet coating (such as icing) or filling – a glaze is not considered a sweet coating cooking ingredients. Flour, sugar, pre-mixes and cake mixes fats and oils for cooking, unflavoured milk, cream, cheese and eggs, spices, sauces and condiments, bottled drinking water, fruit or vegetable juice (of at least 90% by volume), tea and coffee (unless ready-to-drink), baby food and infant formula, all meats for human consumption (except prepared meals or savoury snacks),fruit, vegetables, fish and soup (fresh, frozen, dried, canned or packaged), spreads for bread (such as honey, jam and peanut butter) breakfast cereals.
