This is the first time that I have been in the Political thread - so please go easy on me. What I cant believe is that the ACT Labour government thinks that they have the right to take as much as they like, from us in order to balance their waste. They have increased rates by an average of 15% - after huge increase over the last decade. We are the higest rate payers in Australia. 15% in a low GDP/interest rate environment??? On top of that they decide to put on a land tax for all rental properties. Roughly it equates to the cost of the rates. So when someone rents a unit the rates/tax goes up by 15% twice. How can that keep up with the rent income? Should we be increasing the rent by 30% a year? What a joke. I have a tiny two bedroom unit that I used to live in, worth about of $220,000. I rent it out for $330 pw and get a return of about $17,500 gross. By the time I have paid for everything I get about $6,000 clear - is that fair. What is happening to the people that have bought units for $500,000. They must be losing. .......and what is the ACT government spending our hard earned money on. Well they built a light rail from Gungahlin to the city. I estimate that it looks after less than 10% of Canberra:s population. What else... they painted some of the streets (and one of the parks grass) in Rainbow colours because our chief minister is gay. Thats all very well, but what about the rest of us, decent hard working people - I was thinking that maybe they could paint some of the other streets in Canberra - red for all of the blood that they have shed Just guessing now..Brown (Opposite of green) for their waste, Yellow for their gutlessness. Any other ideas - for or against?
