Thankyou Owen McShane.

What you have said in this article should be bleeding obvious. However the "Happy Tax" proponents have been out in force recently so it really needed to be said.

Our current high levels of taxation are more akin to madness than happiness. Give us back the tax burden from the 1950s and 1960s any day.

In recent days I have read a number of "letters to the editor" all asking for 'no more tax cuts', 'put my taxes toward better health, hospitals, education'.
I support this attitude.
With a budget surplus of $18m, use of public monies (tax) to increase availability of public services. This will also increase employment.
To alliviate the "Great Depression' US president Truman, embarked upon a huge revitalisemnet of the economy by spening 'public money' on public infrastructure, and thereby increasing employment.
Australia needs to review its spending programs. Put more money in public services and more people will be happy.

A good society is one where people were as happy as possible and the best (government) policy one that made the most happiness. (Bentham)

It is the responsibility of our governments to make everyone as happy as possible.

Australians pay very little tax compared to other OECD countries.
The problem lies with the government NOT spending the public monies for the betterment of the public who contribute.

Anybody got any idea how many people pay additional tax above and beyond what is assessed?
My guess is that the figure would be very close to 0.
Anybody who does not pay additional tax above and beyond their assessement clearly does not believe additional tax is a good thing (or they are trying to get somebody else to pay for their wants).

I'll take the tax cut thanks and avoid the extra services, those who want the extra services are more than welcome to return tax cuts to the government (and maybe a little additional bonus) to be spent on extra services.

R0bert

Owen,
Is your article actually saying that the left want the wealthy to pay tax instead of avoiding it, for the betterment of the community at large. If so this would be a good thing, the average wage earner cannot avoid paying tax, even if they wanted to, however the wealthy get deductions and legal loopholes to avoid tax. Therefore the employee in essence subsidises their employer.
The general public have been consistantly asking for increased services rather than tax cuts for years, what good is a tax cut to the average working family, they only gain enough money to pay for privatised services, that they have already paid their tax to recieve.
With the Howard surplus of $11 Billion which is really only collected tax which has not been spent on the very services the public are asking for, surely they can put more funding into health and education, for the great bulk of the population. They seem to have no trouble syphoning funding off to their mates, as expressed in another thread using the example of aid money to the Solomon's
It's time the population reclaimed ownership of their government, and insisted on a fair go. We pay tax to have services returned, the services get privateised, we still pay our tax, so in reality it is a user pays, then pays again system, one that leaves those on low to average income families floundering in poverty, although they are good citizens who HAVE paid their responsible share of tax.

It’s little wonder that the Left has been left behind – they never have any new ideas. Take from the rich and give to the poor so that eventually the country and everyone in it is stuffed. That’s what they have always believed in, and that’s why socialism is almost non-existent now. It just does not work!

The Left philosophy is based on doom, gloom and envy. Nothing will ever make them happy

Leigh

A typically simplistic and innacurate argument of the right.

Europe is shifting left, Scandanavia by balancing socialism and capatlism has arguably produced more successful societies than US,UK and perhaps even Aus.

The left is more concerned with reducing the extremes seen in most right wing societies and as the weekness's of uncontrolled capitalism are exposed I see Australia moving further to the left, eventually.

Yes socialism may be dead but for me a middle path between the left and right side of politics is the only humane, sustainable way to progress society.