You are correct Volt, Western governments all over the world are...

You are correct Volt, Western governments all over the world are desperate for cash. They will do anything to grab as much as possible from business and/or the people. The ETS, carbon tax, etc. were just the start. The mining tax is just another tactic to achieve the same goal. I'm sure they will try other ways to grab more cash, such as increased taxes. They realise I think the alternative is too horrific to contemplate for the markets, namely to start printing money like there's no tomorrow. That would only cause all sorts of problems. The funny thin about it though is when the depression is in full flight, they might resort to doing just that to try and avoid the inevitable - bankruptcy.