Super Saturday’s lessons
So far the Coalition’s proposed business tax cuts are high on the lists of reasons why voters did what they did on Saturday.
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Let’s hope that analysts, and voters, don’t blindly accept the political arguments for the business tax cuts as if they might be the best or only answers for the nation and that independently, they start do some sums on what the proposed tax cuts would really do towards stimulating the economy, creating jobs, improving business confidence for more investment etc.
Hopefully, the sums will include the secondary impacts of significantly reduced business tax revenue and lower social security payments due to higher employment levels.
Simply put, businesses can only improve their profitability by increasing turnover and/or reducing expenses.
Increased turnover will achieve all the good effects anticipated and won’t necessitate reduced business taxation revenue.
Typical small businesses enjoying even small percentage increases in turnover will see higher percentage increases in their net profit before tax – do the sums and see!
While government doesn’t need to implement the desperate stimulus measures taken to counter the effects of the GFC, introducing changes that will lead to small increases in the disposable income of taxpayers and pensioners will see a higher business turnover.
Such “remedies” might include reduced personal taxation, preservation of penalty rates, indexing Medicare thresholds, indexing pensions and revising asset tests, being fair dinkum with child care and maternity leave payments, and so on the list goes with measures the political parties don’t see as common sense even if the electors do – as was evident perhaps on Saturday.
As they say in the advert, “simple!”, eh?
Jeff de Jager
Coila
NDIS views sought
Whilst the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been rolling out across NSW, the Berejiklian/Barilaro government has been privatising all public sector disability services, including HomeCare and group homes.
Now, the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) no longer exists. People with disabilities, their families, carers and advocates, have to navigate an entirely new disability services landscape – and it’s tough.
Without a safety net, too many people are falling through the cracks. Many service providers are struggling to remain viable.
For people who can’t participate in the NDIS - that is, more than 80 per cent of all people with disabilities - services are very difficult to access.
So, the NSW Labor Opposition has secured a Parliamentary Inquiry into the implementation of the NDIS and the provision of disability services across NSW. We want to hear from people with disabilities, carers, advocates and service providers about the gaps in services, particularly in rural and regional NSW.
Please help us make the NDIS work for everyone by making a submission to the inquiry before August 9.
To make your submission, or learn more about the inquiry, visit: www.bit.ly/NDISinquiry
Kate Washington MP
NSW Acting Shadow Minister for Disability Services
Plea on forests
I am writing to highlight the extent of outrage felt, not just locally, but around the country, as the forest industry and the NSW Government work to extend and expand totally unsustainable practices, and undo the hard work of 30 years of campaigning for forest protection.
The current management of state forests is unsustainable.
The rollover of the 30-year Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) without any review, proposed changes to the Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA), that will undermine the protection of some old growth forests, and the ongoing cost of the unsustainable Forest Corp ($20m pa, plus now a $80m grant) have all contributed to the rapidly growing wave of outrage.
There is a small window to save the forests from total destruction – and we must demand the RFAs and IFOA reflect the wisdom of research showing the vital role in climate stabilisation, rainfall generation and bushfire reduction achieved by restoring forests.
With more than 2900 signatures in two months protesting the imminent logging of Corunna Forest indicates an overwhelming response.
Huge efforts over five months have held off logging and it is hoped logging will be permanently exempt.
www.Great Southern Forest.org is gaining support as an alternative framework for managing the 76 forests in the SE Region, from Nowra to Eden to Tumut.
Huge opportunities for long-term job creation can be achieved through better management, selective harvesting instead clear felling, regeneration of the vast degraded forests and also through more sustainable options such as hemp, which has recently been approved as an agricultural crop in Australia.
It is so absurd to be talking about saving 160 jobs in Eden and another 80 at local sawmills when, if left to continue as is, there will be no industry left in 30 years.