What reforms of the tax system are most urgent in Australia?
608267
They need to keep raising the tax free threshold so people on low incomes don't get taxed too harshly.\nThey also need to get rid of the double taxing on petrol - currently there is a 38 cents per litre petrol levy plus you pay 10% GST on the total
1179965
The trend in Australia has prompted an overhaul of Industrial Relations and Workplace Laws at a federal level, reducing the unemployment rate to the lowest it has been for 50 years, due to the increasing number of people with part time or, more prevalantly, casual employment status, and a rapidly decreasing number of full time status employees, and the percentage of persons that remain in full time positions for over 5 years has plummetted also, meaning an increase in all of the overhead cost areas you mentioned in the question. The other side effect not expected by this change is that companies are now far more liquid than ever, with the potential for a company to begin day 1, have a full staff the next day, and dissolve the day after with no obligations to employees. This system has abolished all non-essential conditions, rights and privelidges previously mandatory, such as paid sick leave, annual leave, long service leave, travel allowance, meal allowance, standard hours, minimum hours, maximum hours, minimum wage, even such simplicities as paid meal, drink and toilet breaks. It is also degrading the standards of quality produce (performance eval), given that women in the 80's had the equal rights movement, and now expect special treatment for child bearing. Is that equal and fair? Career planning has gone out the window, being replaced with short term wage paid positions, so many of which exist that we are having to import labouring persons from third world countries. All of this comes from the femme-nazis in politics, such as the Prime Minister's wife and daughter.
457006
We need the Fair Tax!  A sales tax on new items and services that replaces all income, social security, medicare and several other taxes.
384605
South Africa has one of the highest tax rates. 40%.
638522
Hi there,\n\nOkay, I'm thinking back to my college days in Australia studying tax law... I think you only get it when you are paying tax in Australia - if you are overseas temporarily you may get it - if you are living overseas permanently you probably won't. Maybe start with the Australian Taxation Office or Centrelink. Good luck!
893009
Boy am i with you look at the question i asked a couple of hours ago!!!!\n\nI'm sick to the back teeth of handing all our hard earned wages over to them.\n\nWe will be taxed the "AIR" we breathe before long, and i don't think that is to far retched!!!\n\n\nI am with you all the way, good luck to you and yours.\n\nAnd this is to the people "Who have obviously have a few quid in their pocket" \nIt's not that we don't expect to pay tax, stop being so jumped up!!!\n\nWe are just fed up of getting screwed over????
376129
Any way you slice it the government needs to pay for the services that people demand. I would support any modification of the tax code that would get the public at large to buy into the system. That means that the obvious corruption in the way federal money is spent and the way in which contracts are awarded has to be dealt with.  The budget process in Congress is hopelessly broken and needs to be reformed.  In short, a sales tax would be simpler and indeed would be a better system but it needs to be accompanied by other reforms.
1132239
this all depends if you are a resident of australia, but if i have done this right the link will take you to the australian tax office go to the SIMPLE TAX CALCULATOR section or by searching look for something on income tax rates, good luck Be Good!!
670062
The morning after the release of the interim report of Senator Jocelyn Newman's Reference Group on Welfare Reform (2000 [a]) Prime Minister Howard said "People want the needy looked after but they don't want an explosion in welfare spending." (P&NB 29/3/2000. 9 am News). Patrick McClure, CEO of Mission Australia and the head of the Reference Group, in an interview on Life Matters a few minutes later was asked about sanctions that might apply to income support applicants if they did not 'participate' in the Government's plans to extend mutual obligations provisions applying to unemployed people to single parents and disability pensioners claimed that there was only one reference to sanctions in the 75 page report. This comment was presumably made in an attempt to assure a frightened recipient population they were not about to lose their benefits. Those Life Matters listeners who had watched the 7.30 Report two days previously would have put McClure's comments alongside the fact that in the previous 12 months Centrelink had issued 200,000 notices of breach to social security recipients in the previous year. Anyone who bothered to read the Reference Group's interim report would have found scattered throughout pages 51-61 references to "compelled participation", "requirements to participate", "sanctions...to ensure compliance", "explicit direction", ruling out "open choice" in relation to how people participated and to "mutual obligation".\n\nMcClure claimed the idea of extending mutual obligation through participation arose from the Reform Group's review of New Zealand's income support system and of Tony Blair's labour market initiatives. This ignores the fact that in New Zealand the Clarke Labour Alliance Government, supported by the Greens, announced shortly after gaining office its intention to revisit in 2000 the entire National Party Government 'compelled activity' programs for income support recipients. On the 9th. March the relevant New Zealand Minister, Steve Maharey ended\n\nwork-testing for people on invalids benefits. He says the evaluation of the trial held last year showed the policy was 'completely useless'. He says that people with disabilities want to work and he prefers to put money into positive programmes that remove barriers to their employment.\n\nThe Blair Government acknowledged its indebtedness to the Keating Government's Working Nation document (1994), in relation to unemployed beneficiaries there has, since the 1947 Social Security legislation, been a work testing eligibility requirement, and work relief programs (the Susso) during the 1930's demanded actual work for sustenance prior to the supply of unemployment relief. The Howard Government's 'work for the dole' program is a latter day Susso scheme.
875173
I am praying he never makes prime minister for that exact reason. Look at the damage he is done to the average punter as chancellor, think of what he could therefore do as PM.\n\nThe bottom line is that we pay enough taxes and his focus has got to be on increasing efficiency and cutting costs, not increasing revenues yet again and crippling the hard-working, honest individual any further.
1049460
The big one would be income tax. If you haven't had a job yet, you'll now what I mean. \nThen there's social security tax, property tax, fuel tax, capital gains tax, tobacco tax, the list goes on and on...
758491
At any Government level problem is the bad management and corrupt politicians. I will never raise the taxes unnecessarily. We are already paying too much direct and indirect taxes.Unfortunately in a democratic society public has gotten passive.They have to weedout rogues from the state. MPs,ministers and high level oficers/politicians should have no immunity of any kind. If we as a people can achieve this there would be no public problem. Tax collection amounts to billions of dollars and must be spent each penny very wisely and honestly.
288683
The heart of your thinking I think would be best applied through strengthening the workers in this country (and thus the broad tax base) A strong family that is secure in it's health and it's retirement will turn their thoughts away from a day to day struggle that pursists today, and toward their surroundings. This would greatly help us to address other issues such as the environment and poverty right here at home. There should be a worker's rights amendment. The right to cheap health coverage. The right to job saftey. The right to a living wage. I think the fastest way to get this sort of broad based reform done is through organisation. Not like a classical union. More like an association that would draw together to leverage certain trhings from our government. Like a group that is millions strong would be able to negotiate better health coverage than even a large corporation could. Starting there and with similar issues that could be achieved through a voter soliderity almost like that of a union, but a little bit more effective, and with a different mission. It wouldn't be done through the work place, but at home so there couldn't be any kind of adverse reactions from corporates and the like. As long as you work and pay taxes, you would be eligable for membership. And with success, taking bigger bites at the apple. AAnd who knows, maybe something like that would end up putting a fire into our 2 party system of government. Or perhaps replace it altogether.
1150926
The fair tax bill is the greatest piece of legislation in the past century.  But if you stop and think about it, it would be the biggest transfer of power back to the people in the history of this country.  Dems and Reps will both lose and the lobbiests would be out of a job.
419369
I know it was passed fairly recent in this country.  It was passed about five or six years ago in australia and they had some big brew ha ha over there because it was messing up the accountants or something.
679520
contact the rep from Australia he may be more help then I can be. Or look up in your local phonebook for U S government  they should be also more help
348150
Hi there, when the Treasurer released the report, he gave a quick summary of the highlights from the report. You can read them on his press release here: http://www.treasurer.gov.au/tsr/content/pressreleases/2006/021.asp\nThe executive summary of the report is here:\nhttp://comparativetaxation.treasury.gov.au/content/report/executive_summary.asp\n\nIt's an interesting read. Enjoy.