Letters to the Editor AFR, Wednesday June 27th Michael Musgrave’s New value capture tax will hit every development in Parramatta [$] (25/6 AFR) made a strong case for his constituents. It’s the Australian way for property developers to make rezoning windfalls in their sleep. Musgrave musters every scaremongering tactic in the developers playbook over the […]
Letter to The Age October 10th, 2017 How ironic that boss Ian Narev is concerned that global wage growth has been “relatively weak” (‘CBA boss says sorry over ATM scandal’, The Age, 7/10). Adam Smith noted in Wealth of Nations that privatised land rent adds one-third to costs. (“This portion, or, what comes to the […]
Letters to the Editor AFR, November 9 Increasing the GST is such an ‘ill wind’ policy that it singularly has the capacity to blow even Mr Turnbull’s mojo into the doldrums and swing a Labor-Greens alliance into power (“Turnbull can win support for a GST rise, says Hewson”, AFR, November 4). The GST is anchored […]
Letter to the Editor Australian Financial Review Sept 1, 2015 Proponents of increasing either payroll tax or the GST are like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, dancing around and seeming to argue, yet holding hands (“Payroll tax surfaces as the next GST”, AFR August 28). If we get more payroll tax, we will have fewer jobs and […]
LC_24 via Compfight Letter to the Editor Australian Financial Review June 18, 2015 ACCESS TO LAND FOR EVERYONE The member for Eden-Monaro, Dr Hendy, suggests it is “crazy” to change negative gearing or capital gains tax arrangements and instead we should accept as a “fact of life” that more Australians will become renters, not homeowners (“Renting will […]
Lynn Friedman via Compfight Letters to the Editor 14th May, 2015 Herald Sun Let’s hope those clamouring for election reform here take a good look at the UK result. One party now has 51% of the seats from 36.9% of the vote. As voting is voluntary, only 66.1% of those registered bothered to do so. […]
Letters to the Editor Bryan Kavanagh Glen Waverley 13.04.2015 The expected backlash to “A tax on land would be fair, efficient and unpopular” (Comment, 8/4) has arrived (Letters, 9 and 10/4). The wealthy will cry crocodile tears for asset-rich, income-poor people. Jessica Irvine did not say we should kick oldies out of their homes but […]
Letter to the Editor Australian Financial Review 29/01/2015 Those urging cuts to penalty rates and minimum wages for working people remind me of the blind guides, in the biblical proverb, who strain at a gnat and yet would swallow a camel. Your story “Mates’ rates help Rosy’s cafe survive Australia Day penalty” (AFRJanuary 27) demonstrates […]
Letters to the Editor The Age 25/08/2014 The seemingly inevitable slide towards the haves and the have-nots in home ownership is inevitable if nothing changes. Our approach to funding the needs of the state encourages and disproportionately rewards speculative (non-productive) activity and discourages (taxes) effort and investment in productive capital (value adding). When unearned income […]
Letters to the Editor As published in the AFR April 7th It is absurd to say switching from income tax to GST improves work incentives. Consumption equals income minus savings. A 20% GST is much the same as a 20% flat rate income tax with no tax-free threshold but with unlimited superannuation deductions. But it’s […]
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