Of cause the GST will be reviewed when all taxes are reviewed, simply because if TA decides to take any changes to the next election, which I think he will, he must first try to fimd the flaws and potential alterations needed, if any.

Too right Rrehctub, sure we can, just like we can trust the fox in the hen house, Abbott and his cronies will have the GST at 15% before you know it. At the moment billions of dollars in GST goes straight into the pockets of small business with their tax rip offs. Does anyone honestly believe that business does not rip billions out of the tax system. The pressure is on Abbott to hike the GST so business can get their snouts deeper into the trough.
The trouble with the CARBON TAX was business couldn't rip it off like the do to the GST and other taxes. Here we have the conservatives all singing from the same song sheet, more tax, more tax. Abbott is finding out that you can't run government with glib on liners, the way he run policy when in opposition, its now a different ball game. This government will soon prove itself the worse government since the Howard government. Watch out folks a new version of WORK CHOICES will soon be coming your way.

We don't need any more taxes.Get our RBA to create just our inflationary money of 3% GDP = $30 billion pa + interest.

Our banks here will benefit since they will not have to borrow from OS central banks. More money will stay here so our fractional reserve system will work better for us.

We really should make it compulsory for our Pollies to read the OLO Forum twice daily as all the answers to Australias problems can be found therein.
Free too !

SD

<< The simple fact is that increasing the rate of GST would be the most obvious and painless means to lift the overall taxation rate, if that needs to happen. >>

Yes!

I’m amazed to find myself in agreement with you, Pericles!

We certainly should have a bigger tax-to-earnings ratio.

<< …there are limits to the amount of short-term savings that can be made by cutting into the public service. >>

YES!

Hells bells, I agree with you again Peri !!

Basically the public service might need to be made a tad more efficient, but otherwise should be left alone!

But the really big factor that just always gets left out of this sort of discussion is the ever-rapidly-increasing demand for everything!

We need ever-more government revenue to provide services and infrastructure in order to just provide the same standard of living for ever-more people, with scant little effort actually going into, or resulting in, significant improvements for the existing population.

Basically the our taxes are very strongly going into duplicating everything that is needed for ever-more people to have the Australia way of life, and nowhere near enough into improving things for the existing population!

** Reduce immigration to net zero! Head directly towards a stable population! **

THIS is what we need to do in conjunction with an increased tax ratio and a more efficient public service, amongst other things.

But of course, this is COMPLETELY absent from Abbott’s mindset!!

Rechtub what is this of cause stuff?
Pre election Abbott said no he would not raise the GST.
But refused to tell why he was bothering to review it?
Both sides need head butting, both want it know it is an answer, but use it to flog the other side.
Is it understood some from both sides, count me in, want it raised.
And do we understand along with less waste raising tax is the first step to keeping service levels we want and ask for.
And returning the budget to the black.