Rehctub said this about rich people. "if they chose to not earn what they earn". This is a common misconception that some rich people, or those who admire the rich, have.

The assumption is that a rich person actually and personally 'earns' all those millions of dollars. Not so. Almost all of those millions are, via day to day labour, earnt by the hard efforts of the EMPLOYEES, and NOT the boss at the top. The boss then skims off what he wants for himself from the profit margin. That's where the money comes from for his Mercedes and mansion.

So, those billions and billions of company dollars that benefit society, and pay the rich boss, come NOT from the rich person at the top, but 99% from the everyday EMPLOYEES, who labour for it on a daily basis.

philips, nice try, but you can't fool me.

You see the majority of high income earners (those above $104K) who would receive benefits from this scheme would be employees, as employers, as beneficiaries, or company directors, usually don't draw any more than $104,000 for tax reasons and, I have yet to see a family trust or even a P/L company for that matter have a baby.

So in other words, most people who earn $104,000 plus per annum, (rich people) , are employees.

Having said that, those employees are the rich ones who prop up the rest and pay the bills.

So, I ask again, why should they miss out, other than for reasons of jealousy?

Give the damn money that is obviously available, to those who are the most deserving of a break. The old aged pensioners.

rehctub
For your information it was a quote 'to allow them to retain the lifestyle to which they are accustomed' in reference to, as you refer to 'the rich'. Your comment to me 'people like yourself are so quick to judge 'the rich', and apparently i think its unfair that 'the rich' should receive a hand out. Arent you quick to misconstrue and attack. And for further information ,based soley on a moral standing,(I too am a higher wage earner by the way)think the suggestion of the hand out to those who dont need it is ludicrous. I do realize it was Tony Abbotts pledge before elections and it served him well. Its just so unreasonable considering there are so many more needy and deserving, again I refer to the Aged Pensioners. Pretty much never seen because they cant afford to go out. Still with high morals, self pride and never expecting a hand out.

......Give the damn money that is obviously available, to those who are the most deserving of a break. The old aged pensioners.
Posted by jodelie,

Couldn't agree more, but unfortunately there's no money left to give, thanks in large to the past six wasteful years of labor.

As for Abbotts policy, the money was not coming from the tax payer, it was being raised via a 1.5% levy on big business, and that's a double whammy in it's self as many large businesses have their own in-house maternity leave schemes, like the banks.

Also jodelie, one reason many people cheat tax is because there is no reward for paying it, hence, they don't pay as much as they should and who can really blame them.

Reward for effort I say.

The old aged pensioners.
jodelle,
In general yes, I agree. However I know quite a few pensioners who never ever pulled their weight in their younger days & some of them are now receiving more that the average pensioner because thy learned how to exploit the system. Yes they are the exception but 95% of decent pensioners do it unfairly tough & they deserve better.
I have lost a lot to theft in my life & this is now starting to bite as I get to pension age.
I feel truly shafted by the system & what I have to look forward to & then to hear about the fairly well off getting maternity leave pay due to having a good time in the cot whilst I have to cop extensive losses through no fault of my own really does hurt.