🚀 go-pugleaf

Don't blame me - I voted Labor!

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


>Time to tax MPS' perks
>*********************

>Text taken from the West Australian 

>Treasurer Peter Costello told the house Representatives on may 29 that
>privileged minorities in the workforce would get no special tax
>treatment for their allowances.

>The focus of his attack was the building workers' union,which was
>protesting at the government's decision to tax workers' travel
>allowances.

>"Let me make it entirely clear,Mr Speaker,that this government does
>not support the policy of introducing new legislation to exempt a
>privileged minority of the workforce from taxation," Mr Costello said.

>"This is a government which will make sure that the taxation system is
>uniformly applied,regardless of the nature of the occupation and that
>is applied in accordance with law."

>Sounds fine. Most Australians would agree with the sentiments.

>But what Mr Costello forgot to say in his boisterous enthusiasm to
>attack the building workers was that they are not the only group
>getting special treatment on travel allowances.

>*The other is politicans*

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

>Parliament usually sits for four days a week,giving a backbencher
>flying into,Canberra on a sunday night $725 tax free on top of their
>weekly salary of almost $1550.

>The tax-free travel allowance for Sydney is even more generous,taking
>into account higher accommodation costs.

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

>As inside Canberra pointed out this week,tax-free travel allowances
>for MPs was not granted by an independent tribunal. They gave it to
>themselves.

>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 Lost another days pay today.

>Bye
>Anthony :)