I would like to hear the other side of the story (if there is one). I don't trust Alan Jones version just on its own.
The Down Under Lounge
- Thread starter TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME
- Start date
Well said Miss Chicken.
But, in general, these all too frequent stories of hardships on the land are unbearable.
Jones' climate denialism cannot sit alongside moaning over drought conditions. The two go together, Alan. Also, since when are the only people purchasing properties Chinese? Jones is a first rate broadcaster, but, as usual, undoes his good points with hysteria and ignorance.
As for mortgages in Australia -- circumstances when you may be in default from a bank I've had loans with include :
I've not seen a loan contract that doesn't give the bank the right to vary interest rates, repayment lengths, fees...basically anything.
On the other hand, we have national Consumer Credit protection legislation that makes it mandatory for any written advice of hardship to be evaluated and a response given in 21 days.
Yeah, perhaps more to this.
But, in general, these all too frequent stories of hardships on the land are unbearable.
Jones' climate denialism cannot sit alongside moaning over drought conditions. The two go together, Alan. Also, since when are the only people purchasing properties Chinese? Jones is a first rate broadcaster, but, as usual, undoes his good points with hysteria and ignorance.
As for mortgages in Australia -- circumstances when you may be in default from a bank I've had loans with include :
I've not seen a loan contract that doesn't give the bank the right to vary interest rates, repayment lengths, fees...basically anything.
On the other hand, we have national Consumer Credit protection legislation that makes it mandatory for any written advice of hardship to be evaluated and a response given in 21 days.
Yeah, perhaps more to this.
Yeah, I'd like to hear more, that's why I posted it. The story didn't originate with him, it's on FB apparently. And yeah, he needs to be hit with the idea that loing drought and climate change may be related. But you know banks would pull a stunt like this. And it is observable that a LOT of propertis around Sydney are being bought as investment properties by Asians, mostly Chinese, drtiving up prices and making it very haqrd for first time buyers.
Good outcome. And that's why Jonesy's on the big bucks.
I suspect, though, the real reason we're seeing action comes from this article :
While we're talking property, I'd like to mention one of my favourite Sydney mysteries which has appeared in the papers again this weekend.
Where I live, in Sydney's inner city, you cannot help but notice that despite the clamour for inner city accomodation, a massive property boom and chronic lack of residential construction there are a huge number of large, old buildings including warehouses, factories, and pubs that just lay vacant year after year.
It then came to my attention these dozens of buildings are all owned by a reclusive multi millionaire couple called the Wakils, who gobbled them up decades ago, refusing to let them or develop them -- they literally have sat there for decades decaying, a temporary home for squatters, who found themselves brutally evicted if they hung around too long. The Wakils are in their late 80's and childless, and everyone is puzzled by their motives.
This article finally sheds a little light on what they're up to.
The ultimate buy and hold investors? Or greedy people denying shelter to others?
I suspect, though, the real reason we're seeing action comes from this article :
While we're talking property, I'd like to mention one of my favourite Sydney mysteries which has appeared in the papers again this weekend.
Where I live, in Sydney's inner city, you cannot help but notice that despite the clamour for inner city accomodation, a massive property boom and chronic lack of residential construction there are a huge number of large, old buildings including warehouses, factories, and pubs that just lay vacant year after year.
It then came to my attention these dozens of buildings are all owned by a reclusive multi millionaire couple called the Wakils, who gobbled them up decades ago, refusing to let them or develop them -- they literally have sat there for decades decaying, a temporary home for squatters, who found themselves brutally evicted if they hung around too long. The Wakils are in their late 80's and childless, and everyone is puzzled by their motives.
This article finally sheds a little light on what they're up to.
The ultimate buy and hold investors? Or greedy people denying shelter to others?
Okay so Charity might benefit from sale of the properly but it will be interesting to see how long before there's more housing built (and hopefully not the glut of condos that is impacting Toronto).
I don't think there will be that big a building boom anytime soon - otherwise you'll really hear a few people scream as it could see a big drop in prices for apartments and houses.
Also don't know if there's been much coverage in the Eastern stats but the stench of the abbott government is spreading (aided by the local Liberals). Labor in S.A is on the verge of majority government by picking up a seat they've held for only 3 or 4 years out of the past 60+.
Independant MP Bob Such died a few months ago so there was a by-election for his seat. Such had sat and as independent since quitting the S.A Libs 12 years ago.
The S.A Libs got nasty with the campaign which didn't help but even bigger was the comments the defence minister made about the Sub Corporation. Even the local murdoch rag questioned about the impact of Johnson's comments on the by-election.
Ignoring Gillard 2010 you need to go back to the depression to find a one term federal government. We just don't seem to do that in Australia.
If it were to happen it won't be because of anything they've done or haven't done so far --it'll be the same thing that did in poor old Jim Scullin in 1931 -- the economy, which is, frankly, looking terrible at the moment both anecdotally and in the national accounts last week.
I suspect Hockey will announce next week the budget deficit has blown out north of $50 billion. It's hard to see it being balanced this decade.
They are certainly in a spot of bother. So is the country, unfortunately, I think.
If it were to happen it won't be because of anything they've done or haven't done so far --it'll be the same thing that did in poor old Jim Scullin in 1931 -- the economy, which is, frankly, looking terrible at the moment both anecdotally and in the national accounts last week.
I suspect Hockey will announce next week the budget deficit has blown out north of $50 billion. It's hard to see it being balanced this decade.
They are certainly in a spot of bother. So is the country, unfortunately, I think.
Find a way to tax the multinational companies plus tax the churches (except for their genuine charity work) would be a good start.
terms are based on the party, not the leader, so Labor had 2 terms in office.
One of the first thing that Hockey did as treasurer was punt $8bil to the RBA who didn't need it and didn't aske for it.
That money would have served better being in the budget than goiing to the RBA in the hope they would make a nice profit on that would be returned to the government (which hockey did have included in the budget figures).
And the hockey hypocrisy is really starting to show. He and Abbott cried bullshit when swann started talking about the external factors impacting the budget and the ability to return to surplus.
Now things are really turning sour and the long predict end of the mining boom is taking place, sloppy joe is talking about the external factors affecting the budget when the fat bastard's not blaming labor that is.
re 2010 -- I was thinking of the hung parliament rather than the Gillard coup.
As for the RBA reserve fund top up, I forgot about that perhaps cynical move. But Joe's done well here. The AUD/USD pair has dropped about 16% this year, and that money literally sits there in forex in case it needs to be used to prop up the dollar.
I'm sure his little winning punt on the forex market will be small comfort when he has to front the cameras next week and announce another budget blow out just before christmas. The country needs it like a hole in the head. There are stories kicking around that the department stores are going to put on their boxing day sales before christmas. The punters are certainly spooked at the moment.
given the govern of the RBA, Glenn Stevens has been talking the Australian dollar down I see little need for it be propped up.
Instead a few people should just keep their fucking mouths shut - it will be a lot cheaper and a lot less wasteful.
What exactly do you want to tax for the Churches. They don't run at a profit or earn income, which has an actual accounting meaning especially in taxation law.
Regular donations to churches are already not tax deductible. They don't meet the criteria for been required to pay GST. Ever paid GST on tips? Nope, because they're not actually in exchange for goods or services.
Most churches are barely breaking even as it is.
The business of selling religion should be treated like any other business, there is no logical reason to give them tax exemptions.
As to what sort of taxes they should be paying
Source - http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/churches-reap-the-benefits-of-belief-500-million-in-taxexemptions/2006/04/28/1146198351877.html
And churches that are barely breaking even should be no different than small businesses that barely break even.
I certainly think it is disgusting that an organisation such as the Church of Scientology has tax exemptions - it runs at a huge profit.
Edited to add - and why should a company like Sanitarium, which makes huge profits, by exempted from company tax because it is owned by the Seven Day Adventist Church?
As to what sort of taxes they should be paying
Source - http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/churches-reap-the-benefits-of-belief-500-million-in-taxexemptions/2006/04/28/1146198351877.html
And churches that are barely breaking even should be no different than small businesses that barely break even.
I certainly think it is disgusting that an organisation such as the Church of Scientology has tax exemptions - it runs at a huge profit.
Edited to add - and why should a company like Sanitarium, which makes huge profits, by exempted from company tax because it is owned by the Seven Day Adventist Church?
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The local parishes yes, you look further up the Diocesan food chain and you'll find more money.
By the end of the decade we'll be spending $500 billion a year in the federal budget, the big nasties being health, social security, and interest on our public debt -- the latter soon will be higher than the amount we spend on defence.
This, as we know, is before the real problem hits the budget -- the baby boomers start to hit 65 in serious numbers.
The budget, if not fixed, will remain in permanent deficit -- no problem till the bond market gets nervous and you have to start paying painful interest rates to roll over the debt, and we'll have no choice but to abandon things like Medicare. Surely nobody wants this?
So how do you fix this mess?
The current tax base isn't sustainable - as we are finding out painfully at the moment, our income fluctuates with commodity prices - this is Australia after all.
So what else could we tax?
Consumption - yep. The GST is a fantastic way to hit the wealthy where it hurts, if that's your goal. Lower income families, of course, would need to be compensated.
Federal Land tax - wonderfully efficient, and would have no impact on economic activity - you gotta pay it. Again, would seem to hit richer people harder, so worth a look on equity grounds. But would this get up in property-obsessed Australia?
Retirement savings - should super earnings be taxed progressively, but at, say a quarter of the rates applied to taxable income? I have yet to see a good argument why not. Or why not a lifetime tax free amount of $1 million that you can contribute at any stage of your life -- then we kick in taxes on contributions?
My frustrations with the current parliament are : who is having this conversation with the Australian people? Nobody. Where is the Labor party sitting down with Abbott in the national interest to sideline these independents and fix the budget with its amendments to make it less "unfair"?
This, as we know, is before the real problem hits the budget -- the baby boomers start to hit 65 in serious numbers.
The budget, if not fixed, will remain in permanent deficit -- no problem till the bond market gets nervous and you have to start paying painful interest rates to roll over the debt, and we'll have no choice but to abandon things like Medicare. Surely nobody wants this?
So how do you fix this mess?
The current tax base isn't sustainable - as we are finding out painfully at the moment, our income fluctuates with commodity prices - this is Australia after all.
So what else could we tax?
Consumption - yep. The GST is a fantastic way to hit the wealthy where it hurts, if that's your goal. Lower income families, of course, would need to be compensated.
Federal Land tax - wonderfully efficient, and would have no impact on economic activity - you gotta pay it. Again, would seem to hit richer people harder, so worth a look on equity grounds. But would this get up in property-obsessed Australia?
Retirement savings - should super earnings be taxed progressively, but at, say a quarter of the rates applied to taxable income? I have yet to see a good argument why not. Or why not a lifetime tax free amount of $1 million that you can contribute at any stage of your life -- then we kick in taxes on contributions?
My frustrations with the current parliament are : who is having this conversation with the Australian people? Nobody. Where is the Labor party sitting down with Abbott in the national interest to sideline these independents and fix the budget with its amendments to make it less "unfair"?
They could start with stoping the corporate welfare.
The mining industry for examples gets billions in subsidies each year as do the oil and gas industries.
Close the FBT loophole of novated leases. Abbott & Co screamed blue when the Gillard government tried to saying it would kill the local car industry.
The local car industry is dead - sacrificed on the altar of a FTA courtesy of the Abbott government so the loophole can be closed.
Wind back Howard's middle class welfare. Again labor tried to do and we had howls from the coaltion mongrels with sloppy job comparing it to China's one child policy.
Bring back the ETS - labor made the mistake of not fighting when the murdoch press and the coalition labelled it carbon tax when was a transitional process to a fully market based system. Better than Abbott's direct actiont that will see tax payer dollars to got business as they get paid not to pollute (another name for coporate welfare).
Drop bullshit like the GP tax. IF people are sick they need to see a doctor and will also help with preventative treatments of conditions such as diabetes. It's not helping the budget at all.
look for cheaper options that the F-35 joint strike turkey.
Go after the multinationals that pay next to nothing in tax - yes apple and google we're looking at you.
Fuck go after the Australia corporations who pay fuck all tax. They whinge that the tax rate is too high @ 30% how many pay anwhere near that rate anwyay?
Remove negative gearing. Too many people buying up houses for investments has sent the prices sky high and that's having a negative effect on the economy. Will also get the overseas property investors out the market.
Build a proper NBN so the country can move into the 21st century and the benefits for consumers and industry that high speed connectivity can bring and stop paying money to those goatfuckers at telstra for their clapped out copper network and protecting their monopoly on HFC.
Just as people were staring to relax around the city, it appears we have a potentially very nasty Islamist terrorist incident in the middle of the CBD.
Looks like hostages have been taken in the Lindt cafe on Martin Place -- the very area police have been patrolling with dogs and horses for the past three months. Nobody is safe it seems.
The images on TV right now look horrible.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-clear-martin-place-after-gunman-holds-hostages-at-lindt-chocolat-cafe-20141214-127824.html
Looks like hostages have been taken in the Lindt cafe on Martin Place -- the very area police have been patrolling with dogs and horses for the past three months. Nobody is safe it seems.
The images on TV right now look horrible.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-clear-martin-place-after-gunman-holds-hostages-at-lindt-chocolat-cafe-20141214-127824.html
Came back to post re this. Looks pretty bad. Someone isn't goiing to see sunset today. Just hope it's only one person. No, I don't want him to die, but with this type of extremist, it's unlikely to end any other way.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-15/hostages-sydney-cafe-martin-place-police-operation/5967232
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-15/hostages-sydney-cafe-martin-place-police-operation/5967232
