Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 6:50pm:


not when your combined family income is in excess of $500 000 it's not ... 

Lobo wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 6:53pm:


not really froggie ... In over 15 yrs of working as a tradesman, I've yet to meet a pensioner who post GST didn't suggest we forget the GST in exchange for cash .....

I thought Howard said it would stop the black economy ... instead it thrived post GST

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 7:04pm:



I said combined family income, not your income ... I could have quite safely gone to $550 000 but I felt the point was made anyway and I didn't need to be too specific ... according to you you make approx $250 000, and your wife make even more at about the $300 000

although you've had a promotion recently haven't you????  I could be way off .....

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Sir lastnail wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 8:58am:

I wrote the letter below to AFR, and  surprisingly it was published.
Dear Sir/Madam.

*       In his article "Nothing should be sacred", AFR 8-9 Feb 2014 Brian Toohey puts a lot of emphasis on the cost of the age pension.
*       As the age pension is paid out of general revenue, I wish to point out, that most of the current age pensioners paid a lot of taxes in their working life and now they are punished by the means test of the age pension. In the 1970's the top tax rate was 70% and a worker on the average wage was paying 50% which is higher than the current top tax rate.
*       What the government should do, is, abolish the means test of the age pension, pay even millionaires the full age pension, but also abolish all tax concessions for super.
*       Currently the retirees with incomes of over a $ 100,000 plus, do not  pay a cent of tax, if the income comes from a so-called taxed fund, so they would rather keep their tax concessions, because the tax concessions far outweigh the age pension.
*       There are also some recipients of a defined benefit super in excess of $250,000 per annum, which get a 10% tax concession, which at $25,000 again ecxceeds the benefit of the age pension, if they lose the 10% tax offset.
*       Now if everybody, of pension age, received the full age pension, he/she could also realise the value of their often expensive homes, because their age pension would not be affected.
*       I have great respect for Brian Toohey, but maybe he should look at more detail in regards to the Australian social  system.
*       As Hockey is mentioned in the article, "Without a social  safety net, Honk Kong offers its citizens a top personal income tax rate of 17% and a corporate tax rate of 17 %", now would that  not be very beneficial to people like Hockey on their incomes.
I'am sure Hockey would not relish it, to live in rabbit warren, like most people in Hong Kong live.

Lobo wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 6:53pm:


YES!!  You hit it froggie!  Right on the nose.

I said to a Digger mate of mine when the GST came in - something he thought was a great idea since it took some taxes away - that he - as a pensioner - now paid tax that he did not pay before, via GST.

It was a neat trick... the only thing the devil needed to do was convince the world he didn't exist...........   

Lobo wrote on Apr 1^st, 2014 at 7:45pm:


not really froggie ... In over 15 yrs of working as a tradesman, I've yet to meet a pensioner who post GST didn't suggest we forget the GST in exchange for cash .....

I thought Howard said it would stop the black economy ... instead it thrived post GST [/quote]

Yes, really, froggie....
Notwithstanding your claim, I'm talking Pre-GST when there was NO tax on service.

You've never done any work for me then....
Did you take them all up on their proposal???

I've known tradies who inflated their quote by 10% for pensioners then give 10% discount, for cash, but still tell said pensioner that they have to rework the numbers "for the government".
If they don't get the request then they've boosted their profit.

I know what you are saying though about the 'black economy'.

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