🚀 go-pugleaf

G'day Anthony,

drwho@iinet.net.au (Anthony Kidd) wrote:

>A federal backbencher travelling to Canberra for sittings of
>parliament gets $145 a night tax free.

Although it's not often that I defend politicians, my understanding of
the situation appears to differ quite radically from yours.

My understanding of travel allowance is that it's available to all
federal employees and some ex-public service companies (e.g.,
Telstra).  The allowance is intended to pay for food, lodging,
travel-related expenses, etc.

In short, the travel allowance is not intended to pay for the travel
per se.  It's intended to pay for living expenses associated with
travel, so that the employee isn't out of pocket for lodging, food,
etc.

This situation appears to be quite different from the rebate for
people in the construction industry.  To an outsider, as I am not
involved in the building industry, I don't see a reasonable
justification for retaining the tax credit for travel.

>With Cabinet meeting more frequently in Sydney,a minister gets $320 a
>night tax free.

Personally, I would question the accuracy of this figure.

>Mr Costello belted the building workers for getting a perk not payable
>to other Australians,but forgot to mention politicians' tax free
>travel allowances.
>
>Mr Costello is guilty of applying a double standard.

I don't think it was a double standard, because it's my understanding
that the money is received for different reasons.

> I Lost another days pay today.

It's one of the negatives associated with going on strike, which is
understood and acknowledged by both sides of industrial disputes.  If
you're going to say that you lost a day's pay by going on strike, I
assume that you'd say you lost two day's pay last weekend, since you
didn't get paid for those days off either.

Doug

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