ArmChair,

"The government spends more per child on kids in private schools."

There's rubbish, utter rubbish...and then there's this utterly uneducated assertion.

Combining state and federal funding, governments spend about $6000 per child more on public schools than on the entire catholic system. Even for funding for very poor catholic schools the difference is over $4000 per child. That is, a child going to one of the poorest catholic schools receives $4000 LESS than the average paid to a public student. For the top 10% of private schools in terms of wealth, the spending difference as compared to public is over $13000.

AC has a habit of making highly erroneous claims which he hopes will just sail through and if challenged he just drops out of the thread and heads elsewhere to make more highly erroneous claims.

Then we should tax all non-profit enterprises like GetUp and the Unions as well.

SM have come to expect much like that from you, at least unions and not for profits claim to be giving a service, how about one well know Church with its HQ here but in many country that if mentioned most would agree should have a PTY LTD after its name, of the one based on a science fiction book? ask questions of unions in posts that have them as the subject, but, know, if you are skilled and you are, at finding fault on demand, but totally unable to see wrong on your side improvement is not possible big corporations too must be made to pay tax, we know a few of them fund your side of politics

Belly,

The CFMEU has a war chest of nearly $100m mostly from extortion. The workers are an excuse, not a cause.

If this is the face of religion don't tax it ban it.

‘You dogs, I spit on your cross’: Muslim imam accused of abusing council staff and illegally clearing land claims his Islamic group is exempt from Australian law

A Muslim imam accused of abusing council staff over allegations he was illegally clearing land claims his Islamic group is exempt from Australian law.

Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali is the Imam of religious guild Diwan Al Dawla, a guild which conducts much of its religious practices on a property in Colo, New South Wales.

Hawkesbury City Council has launched legal action against the imam after learning he was allegedly clearing land on the property without a permit, the ABC reported.

Dr Kara-Ali, a Harvard graduate, allegedly screamed 'you dogs, I step on your cross' when council workers visited the property to serve court documents.

If a religious charity is found to be in participating in or encouraging unlawful behaviour, it can have its charity status revoked.

A conflict between council officers and Dr Kara-Ali and an unidentified man was caught on dash cam, allegedly showing the unknown man spitting at officers.

'Both men were repeatedly yelling obscenities from the other side of the gate, calling out 'you dogs, I step on your cross', the council officer wrote in an affidavit.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6074709/Muslim-imam-accused-abusing-council-staff-illegally-clearing-land-claims-exception-law.html

While some people are getting excited about taxes and charities, perhaps the Tax Office should look more closely at Personal Accummulation Funds.

These were set up by Howard as a (bogus) way of promoting the wealthy to donate more to charities but the Tax Office regards them as a minimisation system. Apparently they simply can't reach into their pockets and hand over any tax-paid money unless there's also something for them in the deal.

All that the ATO requires is that each Fund donate $11,000 per annum or 5% of the Fund (whichever is greater) to recognised charities. The rest is used in any way the Fund decides - such as paying the owner Director's Fees or "other uses".

Strangely, the average donation from all Funds is around 8% so Fund operators are using them to control how much the get to keep for themselves. It's effectively a way of paying around 8% tax on income by laundering income through these funds.

When Turnbull said he donates "every cent" of his PM salary to charity, he actually donates it (tax free) to The Turnbull Foundation - a charity and a Personal Accumulation Fund. Only Public Funds have to open their books (as Shane Warne's failed one reminds us).

As a result he not only pays no tax on his PM salary, he gets to claim 100% of it as a deduction against other income - a double-dipping rort if there ever was one.

Meanwhile most of his investments are kept in the Caymans where they also evade Australian taxes. Not a good look for someone who talks a lot about tax.

It's the mug PAYE taxpayers that are paying for this country and donating their tax-paid income to charities.

Charities and taxes are not always what they seem.