I have never felt that close to Joe.

In fact, I don't feel the need to be close to Joe.

The Gaurdian website has a brilliant budget interactive tool.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/may/09/budget-cuts-revenue-interactive

Highly recommended. I have had a number of attempts at the budget, always getting the budget into surplus, and always with no pain being applied to the needy.

My biggest surplus so far was $90 billion in 5 years, with no pain felt by the average Australian at all.

But a little message came up saying that the surplus was too big.

My answer to that is the surplus should go into a sovereign wealth fund, or go towards buying back public assets that were sold in the past.

But unfortunately I think Joe would spend a surplus on pay increases for politicians or tax cuts for the rich or increased immigration or something like that.

I think a good question is why are not "Trust funds" and the use of such tax avoidance structure targeted?

Recently there have been reports of international companies paying no tax. Transurban paid the CEO more money than it paid in tax on a revenue of in excess $1billion.

Tis a strange Budgetary world

In one corner we have formally Happy, now Cranky, Tubby-Joe Hockey attempting to sell a Budget that is considered overly stringent by the great rump of starving Australian humanity.

In the other corner we have the Bald Gonad, David Leyonhjelm, attempting to sell a lalaland Steal from the Poor to give to the Rich budget even more stringent than Cranky Tubby-Joe's.

Enough to make MH17's Tony Abbott go Dutch http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/08/11/tony-abbott-touches-down-netherlands

Pete

Have to agree with Incommunicado!
And can only add, and as applied to Joe. The problem of thinking within a very fixed circle of very narrow and entirely inflexible ideas; is, the questions are also equally limited!
That being so, so also are the answers, and by implication, the entire and also extremely limited gamut of usable ideas!
And what follows such managed contracting economic slowdowns by deliberate design?
Child labor followed by slavery, or its modern hidden alternatives? Or if you will extremely cheap fully imported goods!
Or as a slowly sinking into the sunset, former world's greatest most powerful economy!
Followed as surely as day follows night, by a a return to virtual slavery, and most of the nations wealth confined to just 1% of the population?
And marked by a return to, tent cities and soup kitchen or houses that are trashed and or worth just a few thousands.
And all just so unnecessary, if only the blind or blinked could be made to see!?
The only way to draw down debt, is with economic growth!
And just like that that took a debt riddled nation, like the USA, carrying hitherto, inconceivable war debt, to turn that around, and into a period of unprecedented prosperity, was economic growth!
Simply put, all the available evidence confirms the Joe, has no idea whatsoever, what caused the great depression, or just how we got out of it!
Or the money the rich and powerful were forced to contribute, if only to ensure they still had some of it, when we finally recovered!
History needs to repeat itself, and if only to actually save the economy, rather than simply cremate and bury it!
Rhrosty.

Reverse mortgages are great David!
They enable the comparatively well off, to buy or steal real estate for around 25% of current market value, and for what, to boost the already handsome returns of multimillionaire, nursing home operators.
We just don't need nursing homes, just more in home care, and by supplying the funds to the cash strapped elderly home owner, as allowed vouchers, so then that owner can choose who is the contractor, rather than a local operator, who then provides a take or leave it service, that sees huge repairs gather; leaking taps, rusted out guttering, uncut grass etc.
And yes, fixing some of it, is available via charity.
But only if you're able to fill out a novel sized volume of forms, that are arguably designed to limit such applications.
If you believe that one can undertake repairs and renovations, on around 25% of the average wage, all while supporting a mortgage, then think again!
When my own parents died, I inherited their debts, all of them.
Current property holdings need to be included in assets tests, if only to eliminate people living in mansions on intensively farmed, small, self sufficient, acreage holdings.
Nothing wrong with that or the fresh food they then sell at local markets.
That then enables them to meet all running costs, and the ability, to take an annual holiday abroad.
And all too often financed by money the taxman never gets a look at!
If retired people were limited to a three bedroom one bathroom cottage of no more than a generous 20 squares, on a quarter acre, as their only exclusive non asset; with everything else measured, as we might measure a bankrupts allowed assets?
Then we could save considerable pension money or at least confine it to need, rather than the better off, (poker machine playing PENSIONERS) simply rorting the rules!
Rhrosty.

You do come up with some rubbish sometimes Rhrosty, but this is some of your best. The idea of pensioners making a killing with their market garden, is about as ridiculous suggestion I have ever read.

Even fit young people struggle with the backbreaking type work market gardens require. Add to that the fact that they are so unprofitable that even Asian immigrants, who have always wanted nothing but their own farm, have been unable to make a go of it around here, makes it really a joke.

That my property, with it's irrigation licence has sent people broke 5 times, twice as market gardens, once as a veal producer, & twice as turf farms, gives the lie to that suggestion. Trying to do something useful on small acreage is a recipe for bankruptcy.

The pension was ever meant to service a mortgage, & never should be. It is to support people as their life winds down. The idea is you do your acquiring of property while earning, not after you go onto public funding.

Please explain why I should have to go through all the hassle of selling the home I bought & paid for years ago, just because you are jealous. I have 7 bedrooms, 5 in the house & 2 in a granny flat, & 20 acre, enough for 3 kids & a homework/computer room. This is something of a burden, & an expense today, but I pay for it, not the public. I receive no more pension as anyone else.

The granny flat was my mums, which reduced her burden on the tax payer, with the support we gave. It has since been used by a daughter for 18 months, & my son & his lady will move in for a while, after Christmas, when he retires from the navy. As this costs the tax payer nothing why should I lose that ability to support my kids when required.

Continued

Continued.

After 22+ years here it does feel like home, why should I move? My 34 year old car, like a good horse, can find it's way home from town, with out me even thinking about, & my roads are safer than any suburban nightmare I can imagine.

I have just one 27 year old stallion left of our show jumpers, & he gave us all so much pleasure, he has a home for life. I have to stay until he goes, or I could not live with myself.

The asset test applies to all but the 2.5 acres around the house. If you think 2.5 acres is anything but a cost you know very little about producing on the land. Any extra land is an asset for pension & asset tests, just as with a bankrupt. This only stops when you have lived on the property for 20 years, a reasonable arrangement, which allows retirees living out their time on their own property. Surely this is fair, when they have provided the public housing where many bludgers are living out their lives. What is your bitch.

My whole property is worth about the same as a nice home in a reasonable suburb, not anywhere near a million, however what business is it of yours? You did nothing to pay for it, although I did quite a bit to subsidise the rent of millions in the past.

I have thought of selling up, & moving into a house in a village somewhere. Once done it would be an easier life, but the actual moving would be a nightmare for me with my physical restrictions.

Continued

Continued.

I see nothing wrong with a reverse mortgage system. I have no objection to using some of the assets I have accumulated to provide for my retirement. I see no reason for the tax payer to support me to preserve my kids inheritance. That seems as wrong as my kids having to support so many ne'er-do-well drop kicks on the dole, & the rorted disability pension, & in public housing.

I am sick to death of hearing about the "needy", & the "underprivileged". This in most instances is code for drop kicks, on the bludge. It is definitely time to kick them out of public housing, long before you start kicking pensioners, who have paid their own way, out of their family homes

I never suggested that pensioners make a killing Hasbeen, just a tidy sum on the side, given they used their wealth to set up a few acres of glass houses?
You could still invest in say a couple of fodder factories, to make as much feed with just 1-2% of the water, as sixty acres of graze.
Which would then enable you to make a few dollars on the side, resting urban horses, for people who still love their animals, but just don't have the graze or room?
And yes, I did spend some time on the farm, doing the usual dawn to dark gut-bust.
Try hand loading hand stacking fifty sixty acres of green lucerne hay and staking it by hand, four times a year, to understand the nature of real work!
I was forced to retire a forty, with a back broken in five places! You?
A mate just south of the border at Crystal Creek, set himself up with a few glasshouses, and then setting up a few dozen trays on sawhorses.
Which then allowed him to sell glasshouse grown radishes, and for which he had an exclusive market, as the most reliable Gold Coast supplier, able to provide this zesty quick growing salad vegetable, harvested monthly, the year round.
And although he didn't get rich, he was able to pay off all the debts, and make a tidy living.
I don't have a problem with you and yours Has; just a few poker machine playing, Collins street farmers, who use property to write off tax, make a few dollars on the side, then take annual holidays, paid for by the tax payer!
Yes I supposed I bludged a bit; but then I couldn't find a single employer, (save self) willing to employ a forty something male with a history of quite severe back injury, and multiple major spinal surgery!
And I was stiffed by the courts and the compensation board, who claimed I had a preexisting injury.
Certainly not one that was visible to the full medical board, that was a prerequisite to military service!
Rhrosty.