Hi Alan. I think we have crossed paths before, I used to post under nick Bohemian few years back. Sorry to dissagree with you again. Keating and Hawke indeed did have plan to introduce GST well Keating realy did all the economic thinking, Hawke just came allong. Yhey took it to an Economic Summit and it did not get up because there was not enough support for it. Instead the so-called Option 3 got up that involved just more fidling with tax thresholds if my memory serves me right. John Howard did initialy oppose the GST but then changed his mind and indeed made it a part of the following elections policy. I think the important point -at least from my point wiev is that while the people of Australia elected John Howard and Liberal Party to lower house they also gave the balance of power to Australian Democrats whose election platform was to opose the introduction of GST. So when I voted I was feeling reasonably sure that we will have no GST after the election. Unfortunately Megg Lees the leader of the AD decided to break that promise, made a deal with John Howard and that is how we got this hidden tax 10% on just about everythin except uncooked food. So when Howard and Costello go boasting about the tax cuts they gave dont forget to add that ten percent. While ther were some adjustment to tax rates after introducing GST they benefited mainly high income earners and pensioners got miserable $3.00. Australian people punished Democrats for that breach of promise by totaly writting off Democrats as a political force. I will make a prediction here, that after this election there will be no AD members of parliament in federal arena. That how popular the GST is. And also, we do not like politicians that lie to us. Brian.
