-PB

ever heard of buses?

What? What do buses have to do with a correlation between petrol price and people using public transport more?

your whole argument was based around trains. :roll:

if you require proof that higher prices encourage people to seek cheaper alternatives then you need to get your head out of your arse

Uh no. Burden of proof is upon you. You made a claim and now you've been asked to back it up.

But I forgot that you're above and beyond burden of proof applying to you.

So they can go back to indonesia and try again...and drown at sea.

There's a lot about the whole boat people thing I don't like regards the Liberal and Labour positions but what shit me more than anything was this whole carry on was going on under Indonesia's nose and they did nothing about it.

As if you could have hundreds of refugees parked down at the Cooktown or Cairns wharves without anyone knowing anything about it. It's no surprise they're one of the most corrupt countries on earth.

"We don't have the boats to patrol the coastline", "we can't police the ports" blah blah.

Australia turns a couple of boats around and what's the first thing Indonesia does? Sends out a navy boat to patrol their maritime border. What!!! Hey, they had boats all along.

Funny that.



Edited by munrubenmuz: 9/5/2014 10:21:50 AM

Tony's doing a lot of things wrong but the fuel excise could be a massive win for the environment, despite there being no way he intends its to be an environmental policy.

Uh no. Burden of proof is upon you. You made a claim and now you've been asked to back it up.

But I forgot that you're above and beyond burden of proof applying to you.

Tony's doing a lot of things wrong but the fuel excise could be a massive win for the environment, despite there being no way he intends its to be an environmental policy.

The excise increasing won't change anything. It's not a big hit in one go, it's a lot of little increases, people aren't going to factor it in, they'll just keep doing what they normally do.

What pisses me off is that we aren't pushing LPG. It should be down below 40c/L (hell, could be 30 and they'd still profit). Instead it's taxed to fuck and much of it is shipped overseas for stupidly cheap prices while Australians get stung.

or take the bus

The bus is for poor people.

so its beneath the champagne lefties?

I vote liberal actually. But your almost homo erotic attraction to buses makes me think you sit firmly to the left.

you might want to go back a few pages and understand the point of the discussion before casting such aspersions

Typical leftie. Always deflecting.

Typical leftie. Always deflecting.

Jesus do people really pin their hopes and dreams on government? :oops:

Six ways to fix Australia's finances without cuts
Budgets are statements of priorities and this government has made its clear: concessions for the rich, cuts for the rest. Here's six fair ways to improve the state of the Commonwealth's books.
Luke Mansillo
Friday 9 May 2014

The great political scientist Harold Lasswell saw politics as the business of "who gets what, when, and how”. Governments have the power to make grand schemes happen, and their budgets indicate their priorities. The question for prime minister Tony Abbott and treasurer Hockey this budget is who will get what, when and how?

In the lead up to the budget the public has been told that cuts are necessary. The commission of audit and the government have made some very spurious arguments to justify the cuts, which Greg Jericho described as "ideology over evidence".

So what might a fairer budget look like? Here's six ways we can find more money without cuts.

1. End the great superannuation concession rort – save $10.5bn

Here's a popular cut: end the huge cash giveaways to the wealthy through superannuation tax concessions. For every $1bn we spend on concessions, we save only $200m on the old age pension. This is a massive net loss for the government and a redistribution of wealth from the state to the already well off, because 30% of concessions go to the top 5%. The top 1% receives more than three times as much as the old age pension – the programme it was intended to replace. Ending the concessions for the top 5% alone would save $10.5bn annually; a more radical restructuring would save a lot more.

2. Actually tax the mining industry – add $50bn

Mining operations in Australia are comparatively undertaxed. The effective taxation on resources in Australia is 13%, while in Norway it's 78%. In 2010-11, the value of mining exports was $135.6bn, meaning the total tax was approximately $17.6bn. If the effective tax increased to Norwegian rates, it would accrue $105.8bn.

Perhaps that’s too radical for Australians, who are used to being exploited by majority foreign owned mining companies. How about a 50% tax rate for our Crown-owned minerals? We could pocket a neat $67.8bn. The difference would more than cover the $47bn deficit.

3. Abolish fossil fuel subsidies – save $11bn

In 2013-14 there were over $11bn of subsidies given to the fossil fuel sector. This includes $6bn for fuel tax credits, $1bn for aviation fuel, and lots of smaller subsides, like $0.5bn for mining exploration. This is a wealth transfer to polluting companies which should be cut.

4. Defund private schools – save $9bn

In 2013-14 the Commonwealth spent $4.5bn on public schools and $9bn on private schools. I've argued before that private schools shouldn't receive federal funding, as those students have opted out of the public provision of education provided by the states. Cutting that $9bn spent on private schools – or transferring that money to public schools – would end the wasteful elite private school "arms race" where unfathomable amounts have been spent on gyms, pools and the like.

That aside, private schools are less efficient increasing their costs per student by 3.4% per annum compared to 2.4% per annum for public schools – with no improvement to academic results. Any neoliberal would tell you that such spending is wasteful and inefficient, because the input costs are greater for the same academic return - studies found that NAPLAN scores didn't improve for students who attended private or Catholic schools.

5. More progressive income taxes – add $41bn

The real causes of the deficit are cuts to income tax and the disappearance of a more progressive taxation system. If 2006 taxation rates were still used, there would be an additional $40bn of revenue this year - let's restore them. The Greens have also proposed a millionaires’ tax, which would raise $1bn by taking an extra 5% from the very richest. Why stop at 50% for millionaires, when in 1985-86 people making what would now be $92,351 were taxed 60%? France recently adopted a 75% tax on millionaires; the Australian Greens are much tamer with their meagre 50% tax.

6. Abolish negative gearing – save $15bn

Australia has a curious loophole in its tax code, which allows an investor to borrow money to buy an asset, even if the income generated by that asset does not initially cover the interest on the loan. Losses from so-called "negatively geared" property is income tax deductible; it is difficult to calculate how much negative gearing costs the budget but it has been estimated to be about $15bn. This is blatant welfare for those who are already very wealthy and should be ended. It is government policy that does not improve housing affordability, as was its initial aim, but increases wealth inequalities.

The bottom line - $136.5bn improvement

My $136.5bn improvement isn't exhaustive, but it is enough to pay the $114bn for a high speed rail network and save jobs at the ABC. I’ve had my fun, now you be the treasurer. What would your budget priorities be? Comment your recommendations to Hockey.

be a bonehead then and completely miss the point. ignorance is your choice.
you didnt actually ask me a direct question.

[youtube]R0_BSI6GrZw[/youtube]

Far out, talk about seeing into the future.

-PB