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[Bookworm]

Just one of many articles about the issue to set the scene: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8285312/Australians-to-pay-special-levy-for-flood-reconstruction.html


What I don't understand is why people are getting so angry about this? Maybe angry is too strong a word, but the tax seems almost insignificant to the individual when put in comparison to the help it will give.

[Nick 2]

people dont want to have to foot the bill on this one. voluntary donations make them feel good about themselves - payment by compulsion needs to be resisted.

[Thaluikhain]

What I don't understand is why people are getting so angry about this? Maybe angry is too strong a word, but the tax seems almost insignificant to the individual when put in comparison to the help it will give.

Help to people who aren't paying the taxes.  And most of them are in Queensland at that.

The oppsition has condemned the levy as “just plain dum”.

[Truckarella]

They should have stated how many slabs it would cost, a la the Hun, to really tease out the fury.

[Monsieur Blond]

It's disgustingly poor economic management, that's what it is and why people are so angry. What I find most offensive is that they're only putting the levy on "high-income earners", ie. anyone earning over 50K, and more for people earning over 100K. What a fucking joke. Labor are trying to maintain their goal of reaching a surplus by 2012/13 so that they can claim some form of economic decency, and in reality are taking money from hard workers so that they don't have to borrow more money that they've gone and wasted on complete crap like super expensive school halls, insulation that kills people, and the NBN that will most likely be outdated by the time we get it.

[Wolfe Tone]

Most likely outdated by the time we get it? Compared to the Abbot solution which is already outdated before we even get it?

Do you honestly believe that making more money is reliant on 'hard work'? Fuck off it does, all it is is putting your money/ the bank's money into the right thing and letting someone else do the work.

More to the point, do you honestly believe that a Liberal government would not have instituted this levy? There is no government in the world that faced with stripping back all thier programs or raising taxation in one form or the other would take the latter. Not to say they aren't stripping things back but a levy of some kind was always on the cards.

(Admitedly, 50k a year is not a great deal of money but it makes sense that you would put the burden on those that can afford to pay it)

[Lord Biscuit©]

I think you'rte a little misguided Blondie. You don't actually believe that crap that print in the paper do you? School expansions
were due to the growth in student numbers - due to the 2003-04 baby bonus introduction - due to one Mr Howard. People have been killed by insulation even when the government wasn't offering rebates, and by bic biros, airplanes and mopeds. If the NBN is 'outdated bythe time we get it', just imagine how outdated the existing infrastruture will be in 10 years. Are you suggesting we just don't bother with the internet 'cause it's just a passing fad anyways? C'mon Blondie, think for yourself!

If there is one thing that the Libs will try to take Labor apart on in the next election, it economic responsibility, which if you believe the libs, is all about having a budget surplus. A tax levy will be a distant memory by the next election, is it's a much better option for the Labor government.

[Invisible Friend.]

Well I don't want to pay for the stupid flood. I vote we make Oprah pay.

[Truckarella]

She sank the fucking country.

[Majorie]

In the words of Andre Bolt-I'm putting my money into a Cayman Islands bank account. Those needy Queenslanders aren't going to see a cent of my hard earned money.

[Wolfe Tone]

In the words of Andre Bolt-I'm putting my money into a Cayman Islands bank account. Those needy Queenslanders aren't going to see a cent of my hard earned money.

You know how people end up as a parody of themselves? Do you get the impression that Andrew Bolt started out as a parody of himself?

[GreenFroggie]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victoria-road-rail-projects-on-ice/story-e6frf7kx-1225996457781

"The reductions in funds will have a significant impact on the financing and timing of major infrastructure projects in Victoria," Mr Baillieu said.

"The Coalition Government will be fighting for every dollar so Victorian families are not unfairly burdened by the Prime Minister's funding cuts."

Another reason to bitch about the levy. If planned projects do get pushed back years then people are going to be really pissed off. Plus, building roads is a part of re-construction and if they are going to cut the state funding to do that then what is the point of the levy? Victoria has had quite a bit of damage from the floods as well, so they should specify what proportion of the levy raised is going to Victoria so that the state government know what they can or cannot do with their allocated/extra/already in budget money. I think about 10+ schools in country Vic have been pretty badly damaged too so what is Fanta pants going to do about those too? Or is the federal gov't going to claim that because the state runs the education the state has to pay for it??

I don't mind the idea of the levy, I just want an idea of what the hell they are spending the money on and how the allocation between the states (mainly QLD/VIC) is going to be worked out? I think Labor are turning into Abbott, where they just announce random things without thinking them through. Give us a detailed plan Julia Gallahed and maybe the media and the country will stop whinging??

[Hank Azaria Chamberlain]

Anyone who is whinging about the levy is a cunt. Just saying.

[Lord Biscuit©]

I just wonder which bit was 'random' Blondie? How would anyone have any clue whatsoever the amount of money required to rebuild damage in the two states? Do you think some government inspector could be sent around the states of QLD and VIC and come up with a figure in 3 weeks? Even with a team of 100 people, it will take 2-3 years to determine actual cost. If you really think that affected people will be happy to sit around for a few years while they do this, then you're more Blondie than I thought. Perhaps you think that it would be acceptable to go ahead with 'planned projects' while the country schools etc wait for your tick of approval?

I didn't know there was talk of state funding cuts, just a tax levy on all australian tax payers. Where is this thing about state funding cuts?

And, really, why do you think that anything the govt does would ever stop you from whinging?

[Hank Azaria Chamberlain]

If Tony Abbott put this levy in she wouldn't have raised a peep.