"the only people who will benefit from a mining tax are the 50%...

"the only people who will benefit from a mining tax are the 50% of australians who don't have shares and of course that will always be a big vote winner"

the mining boom is distorting the Australian economy

we are facing inflationary pressures, a high A$ and most exporters are hurting

most Australians including those with shares are not benefiting from the mining boom, arguably it is in fact detrimental to many businesses other than those closely associated with the mining industry, and has also contributed to a skills shortage

the mining boom has created an unhealthy reliance on a sector that does not value add nor does it create IP...it digs up dirt and ships it, we buy it back as value added goods...doesn't seem like a smart long term national strategy to me

to slow down the mining sector could be a good thing, it is depleting a finite resource that will still be in demand in decades to come

so why fast track the depletion of this resource - at the expense of the rest of the economy - particularly when higher prices will be achieved in future years?