A couple of things. I'm quite happy that only one single central authority has any inherent taxing powers! And lord knows they do that extremely well, every which way, don't they?

Of course any real reform in this area, is self evidently stymied by puerile self interest and patently servile legislators with no spine or testicular fortitude and no end of excuses for inaction.

States will be even less inclined to self terminate, [needed to release an annual 70 billions plus, for other vastly more worthwhile purposes, quite massive Infrastructure deficit etc?] if they are given the right to collect state taxes.

Some completely vacuous or diabolically disingenuous, manifestly mendacious, self serving folk, will predictably say every tier of government has its functions.

Even so, there are cities with comparable population numbers, administrated by just one single administration, with competence the only thing needed to enable that very multitudinal multifunction outcome.

Simply put, the other compounding problem is, we're, with one exception, the most over governed country in the world!

And that also explains our convoluted tax system with its inherent built in waste/parliamentary expenses/entitlements/chopper rides/ridiculous retirement benefits etc!?

It's way past time for real reform, and all over the place!
Rhrosty.

It appears Brendan believes in taxing you for buying your own home, & living in it, with imputed rent.

However in that vein, he is missing a few more tax opportunities.

Surely we should have a tax on car owners. How about a tax on imputed taxi fares when we drive to work, & of course we should not miss the GST on that imputed rent, & imputed taxi fares.

Then how about an imputed restaurant charge for home cooked meals.

Come on mate, get rid if the ridiculous.

Oh & Rhrosty, I hope you manage to cough up that dictionary of obscure English you appear to have swallowed before your above post.