On Tuesday, I listened to Scott Morrison talking about the respect he has for the Australian voter’s intelligence and that they deserved to be included in the conversation about tax reform.
He was reacting to some poll that said the majority of Aussies were in favour of increasing the GST provided there was a compensation package, regardless of not knowing what that compensation package might entail – something that Scott has been unable to elucidate.
If we are so smart, how come we can’t be told anything about the persecution of asylum seekers being done in our name at great public cost? Could it be because Scott reportedly argued in shadow cabinet that the Liberals should exploit community concerns about Muslim immigrants? Don’t forget, this is the man who was willing to make political hay when relatives of asylum seekers killed in the boat tragedy off Christmas Island in December 2010 were flown at taxpayers’ expense to attend their loved ones’ funerals in Sydney.
Scott hastily assured us that while the poll showed that the public was not falling for Labor’s scare campaign, it is not government policy to increase the GST. He blamed the State Premiers for even bringing it up. It’s them what wants it…not us.
This from the man whose party came to office on the back of a campaign about the “great big new tax on everything”, the party who assured us that getting rid of the carbon and mining taxes would lead to more jobs.
This from the man whose relentless scare campaign about boat arrivals saw him posing in front of a billboard counting them off – something that you could now be prosecuted for revealing.
Scott tells us that he doesn’t want to raise the GST – he is all about income tax and corporate tax cuts. Scott is terribly concerned about bracket creep. Not concerned enough to change the brackets mind you, but most concerned that the average wage earner may have to pay an extra 4.5c per dollar on a very small portion of their income.
When asked about fairness, Scott replied that we have to be fair to wealthy people – after all, successful people should be rewarded for their effort. Accountants cost a lot!
Scott is obviously an up-and-comer in Liberal ranks but he is also prone to defensiveness and flashes of anger. Critics within his own party call him arrogant, over-ambitious and bullying. “It is impossible to talk about Scott Morrison,” says one, “without dropping the C-bomb,” something far too many politicians seem prone to do in my opinion though Christopher Pyne assures us it was a G-bomb.
When I listen to Scott Morrison’s hectoring tone of voice, regardless of the words, I am hearing “It’s bloody obvious what we are going to do and if you don’t agree then you are a moron.” I most definitely do not feel I am being invited to give suggestions. I am being told to trust the “adults” when every fibre in my being screams con job.
Morrison couldn’t even be honest about his “loyalty”, or lack thereof. He had the ultimate each way bet and has a pre-post bet on himself winning the final.
Very shortly we will see how adept Scott is at manipulating figures as he tries to disguise cuts to welfare whilst protecting his wealthy mates. I, for one, am looking forward to his first attempt in the upcoming MYEFO. Glossy brochures, threats to journalists, and arrogance can’t hide the numbers so do your best Scott. We’ll be watching.
He’s not called “Snott Morriscum” for nothing.
‘Where the bloody hell are you’ is quite a thing with Scott Morrisoin. He is building up quite the reputation for not turning up.
Turnbull didn’t take Morrison to the G20, he took Cormann instead. Did Scrott refuse to go or did Turnbull have absolutely no confidence in his treasurer?
As well as not turning up in Turkey Morrison refused (or was not permitted) to attend the G20 and IMF finance ministers’ meetings in Peru last month. He sent Kelly O-Dwyer instead, a new mum with a tiny four month old baby, still breast-feeding, forced to do his job. What a kind and caring person he is.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/turnbull-era-scott-morrison-may-regret-skipping-peru-g20/story-e6frg9qo-1227544291430
Too lazy to attend important international meetings attended by all the other G20 treasurers, or just too scared to front up and have his ignorance and total lack of ability displayed to the world?
Morrison cannot formulate an argument for an increase to the GST based an an unidentified poll, the questions for which we are not aware of : the GST is just one component of the discussion we are supposed to be having on overall taxation and for Morrison to be implying that the community is relaxed about a GST increase is simplistic and misleading.
Let’s not forget that the GST is the most regressive of our taxation options , that’s why it always requires compensation to those unfairly impacted.
Is he making up stuff again? Is this poll an ‘on water’ matter and not available for scrutiny?
The latest Essential Report has support for the GST at 18% (Labor), 39% (LNP) and 16% (Greens).
To raise more Government revenue to maintain services and reduce debt, 27% favoured increasing the GST, 26% favoured increasing income taxes and 14% expanding the coverage of the GST.
Liberal/National voters (39%) were more inclined to favour increasing the GST while Labor voters (34%) and Greens voters (36%) favoured increasing income tax.
Women favoured increasing income taxes (30%) while men favoured increasing the GST (32%). For full-time workers, 33% favoured increasing the GST and 19% increasing income taxes.
At the moment they are in the ‘cultivation’ phase. While ‘everything is on the table’, it’s all about the GST. Not a rise of 15%, but possibly to 12.5%, so that we will collectively breathe a sigh of relief.
http://www.essentialvision.com.au/category/essentialreport/page/3
Morrison is being hidden away just like Greg Hunt was during the “coal is good for humanity” period. You can’t schmooze the experts with a tone of voice and reference to polls.
Speaking of Tax matters. From GetUp.
Yes we must keep ‘tax’ matters secret.
“Scott Morrison talking about the respect he has for the Australian voter’s intelligence”. – He’s sucking up,and lying. Morrison and these Libs know most Australian voter’s are gullible easily led ignorant morons. It’s what gets these Libs in and re-elected. It’s what the Libs exploit and know best.
Greg Jericho has all the usual ‘facts and figures’.
What passes for ‘News’. Nominal figures are thus great when you wish to ignore pretty much everything within the context of the economy such as its growth, history (such as hiding that revenue fell during the GFC) as well as the size and make-up of the nation.
And in this debate over tax and spending, we deserve better than that
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-18/jericho-we-deserve-a-better-quality-of-tax-debate/6948008
Also,the Libs LIE of “everything is on the table” – Then,as soon as a suggestion is made,that effects them and their big end of town mates,it’s dismissed and off the table.The Libs pathetic MSM don’t point this out either.
The ‘everyone wants a GST increase’ thing is the government’s latest attempt at brainwashing. Dr David Gillespie (MP for Lyne, aka ‘Dr Dolittle’ and ‘Dr Who?’) was given the job of kicking off the government’s propaganda campaign a couple of weeks ago. He claimed he had had a private study done and said he had asked the voters in Lyne and we were all in favour of that increase. He lied. He hasn’t asked anyone. No survey, no phone poll, no questionnaires mailed out, nothing. Since then I keep seeing stories where MPs tell us their electorates are all for paying more GST, and then there was that dodgy Essential poll. When you look at the actual poll results it does not say ‘most’ voters want that increase.
I’m already sick of these lies, but we are going to get much more of this garbage and it will really ramp up when the next election campaign begins. It’s the good old ‘tell people something often enough and they will believe it’ trick. The government thinks if they keep telling us we are all happy about a tax increase then we will believe it. They can damn well think again.
I feel sick for the intelligence of the average Australian voter.
“We need to have this conversation with Australians saying you are getting taxed more than you should be, I would like you to take more of your pay home.”….because you are going to need it to pay for food, health, and education.
“we are leading the world on making sure that income earned here in Australia by multinationals will be taxed here. To suggest otherwise … I think is just to blatantly lie to the Australian people.”…and he should know because Scott has perfected the art of lying.
Until they tackle ‘legal’ tax evasion through profit-shifting, restructuring, and thin capitalisation laws companies won’t EARN any income in Australia. Dropping the corporate tax rate as a priority is laughable when none of the big evaders actually pay the current rate (which is 5% lower than the US I might add).
A higher GST would never be cut in the future but, as we have seen, compensation can easily be undone. It was to Aussie’s credit that they embraced a 0.5% increase in the medicare levy to help fund the NDIS. Perhaps the high income earners could make a similar gesture by making the temporary 2% levy a permanent thing. Perhaps we would have more appetite for the conversation if there was transparency and accountability for the tax obligations of big business and private companies owned by billionaires.
onsiders said ‘we have a high company tax’ for many companies is could be 100% because they pay nothing.
The ATO ‘ Fifty-five of Australia’s highest earners paid no income tax at all during … The biggest deductions were for work-related expenses (19.7 billion),’ No income = no levies.
Remember 50% of us are at average or below and 90% can not achieve at year 12 matriculation standard.
babyjewels10 Yep we are dominated by unimaginative morons with little or no idea…..and it only takes a few in some marginal seats to swing an election. This has become easier with our kow-towing political commentators trying to keep their jobs in the media.