Horse 1144 - Mr Abbott's Oppostion to a "Great Big New Tax"

Liberal Party supporters were sent a letter this week, yet again opposing what Mr Abbott has to say about the "great big new tax" which is designed to help QLD Flood victims. Which he (and I assume his party) is opposed to...

From the SMH:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/abbott-deflects-attack-on-levy-letter-20110203-1afjn.htm

It repeats Mr Abbott's reasons for opposing the levy and reasserts his allegation that the government was exploiting a tragedy to gouge taxpayers.

"Only a Prime Minister who is out of her depth would seek to exploit people's generosity to flood victims to try to win acceptance for yet another new tax," it says.

Somehow I don't know Mr Abbott, can I refer you to the famous racial discrimination case of Kettle Vs Pot?

Mr Abbott of all people has no right to complain about the Federal Government either spending money to help people in need, nor the right to complain about raising "special" taxes. The truth he that he's guilty or something far bigger than that.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2005-ta-abb004.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2005&mth=01

The Commonwealth Government today praised the state and territory governments for the co-operation in responding to the health crisis resulting from the recent Indian Ocean Tsunami.

"The coordinated efforts of all governments demonstrate our ability to use health resources effectively and efficiently in a crisis," Tony Abbott said.

Within 24 hours of the tsunami...

Just to hammer the point home, the press release was repeated verbatim on Mr Abbott's personal website.


http://www.tonyabbott.com.au/News/tabid/94/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3739/AUSTRALIAS-TSUNAMI-HEALTH-RESPONSE-A-NATIONAL-EFFORT.aspx

“In addition to this there are also many doctors, nurses and medical professionals volunteering their skills and time to help the many thousands of victims in need of medical attention. This is the latest demonstration of the ideals of duty and service which characterize Australia’s health professionals,” Tony Abbott said.

So let me get this straight, when Mr Abbott was Federal Minister for Health he had no problem in sending almost a billion dollars in helping the people of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Bangaldesh etc, but when it comes to the people of his own country, he has a different line?
Also as the Federal Minister for Health he was a member of a government which not only spent billions of dollars blowing the heck out of Iraqis, but he did so on the premise of an entire sting of lies? The obvious conclusion is that because the floods and following effects of Cyclone Yasi on the people of Queensland are actually real, that perhaps we shouldn't help them? Am I to assume that if we invented some pretend flooding that he'd be alright with that?

Was it somehow unreasonable to the Prime Minister to respond to a national crisis? The then opposition leader Malcolm Fraser criticised the then Federal Government's handling of the effects of Cyclone Tracy in 1974 when it set up the Darwin Reconstruction Commission, and subsequently extended the scope and reach of the Commission, and even when as far as to give self-government to the Territory in 1978 which means that over the next few years, aid to the Territory was completely hidden under the guise of the normal Northern Territory budget procedures.

Does anyone remember a certain piece of legislation entitled A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) 1999? In effect the GST is a regressive tax, which has a more pronounced effect on lower income earners, meaning that the tax consumes a higher proportion of their income, compared to those earning large incomes. Maybe that's what Mr Abbott is objecting to? Maybe he opposes the fact that richer people would be forced to pay a tax designed to raise $1.3bn as opposed to poorer people paying a tax which has raised circa $374bn in the 11 years of its operation.

Whilst Mr Abbott might oppose a "great big new tax" he had no problems with installing a "great big monstrous new tax system" did he? Something which costs the taxpayer a third of one percent of his own foul and incidious tax must be stopped before it's started, because that would mean that the Federal Government would have to take reponsibility for something, and he mighty very well be PM in the future. How dare the Gillard Government fulfil its duties under section 51 of the Constitution to "make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth". That's just reprehensible isn't it?