Do those earning $120,000 receive $34,000 worth of value (tax benefit) from the federal government?

Paul1405,
Add to this GST, Fuel Tax plus all the other taxes & license renewals, permits etc etc. people will realise how much they're really paying in Tax.
On the other hand, as you rightly pointed out, people on high salaries for example in the Public Service are without any doubt whatsoever overpaid. The Commissioner of Taxation on $770,000 plus allowances is straight forward immoral considering that all he does is sit there. We don't even need a Commissioner for taxation, we have all the rules in place to negate that position. There's an immorality already. The same goes for the several thousand bureaucrats who are not actually doing anything themselves apart from playing figurehead yet still receiving top Dollars. For what I ask.
To make it all more fair have everyone pay 25 Cents for every Dollar earnt.

Paul,

Coming from the party that provides the gold standard in unsubstantiated nonsense, that is a little rich.

No one doubts that a government is supposed to supply goods and services paid for by taxation and that taxation needs to be progressive based on income. However, the value of the services to the taxpayer depends largely on the efficiency of the government in supplying these services with labor richly earning the reputation of pissing the money away on pet political projects that deliver little to no value.

Taxation is a disincentive to work or to invest and should be limited to just that which is needed.

Interesting that a significant aspect of the sub title to the article didn't get touched in the article or subsequent discussion.

The idea of "ability to pay". I'm guessing that could have lots of meanings but the most obvious is the assumption that earning more leaves more spare money to pay more tax.

In my view that's not a given, people can be quite capable of earning good incomes but not managing that money well, they can have personal circumstances requiring that extra income (a health problem, an outstanding debt they need to clear, a financial disaster from the past they need to clear etc).

At the same time others may have circumstances that allow them to reduce their work income to concentrate on things they would rather do, they may have a home paid off, no kid's, enough property to grow a lot of their own food, be more handy at DIY than others etc.

A tax system that takes non of that into account and only concentrates on the narrowly defined idea of taxable income (which generally does not account for any of the previous items) is not in any way distributing the taxation burden based on peoples ability to pay.
Some will be hurt far more than others by the taxation system with no consideration to their circumstances.

R0bert

Has anyone thought of voluntary taxation, where you only contribute according to your conscience, certainly a novel idea. A restraint in Newtown decided to take down its price list, and have the patrons, pay as much as they felt obliged to. Well I can say my forty cent rump steak was delicious, but my wife's $35 pasta was rather so so. The truth is the restaurants income went up, and BTW they don't serve rump steak.

Dear old Dave was on Paul Murray Live last night, always good to hear what the enemy have to say. On the question of spending of $247 million on the School Chaplin's programme Dave thought the programme was good, but spending taxpayers dollars on it was bad. Dave suggested those Chaplin people could do it voluntarily. Possibly Dave might like to extend the voluntary aspect to all those being paid from the public purse, including overpaid Senators like himself!

voluntary taxation, where you only contribute according to your conscience,
Paul1406,
Totally & utterly unfair that the Leftists should be excempt from paying Tax ?

Dear Paul,

Yes, I have been thinking of voluntary taxation for a long time.

But it wouldn't work if you pay just what you like: people should be issued (or self-assess) with a minimum tax according to their income, then if they pay less they become ineligible for public services and benefits. For a wealthy person, this could mean for example that if they are robbed the police wouldn't come.

Voluntary taxation must be only for individuals - companies should not have the option to opt out.

Along with the minimal sum which ensures the basics, should come strong recommendations for additional optional sums for designated purposes. Those who do not agree with some specific additional purpose should be encouraged to mark their tax-return so the same additional sum goes into a different option. Those who pay in total less than recommended will have their names published.