[LINK] Building the Australian National Health Network

[Jan Whitaker]

At 01:40 PM 11/03/2010, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:

>The GST was a move from State Taxes (stamp duty was abolished
>and I think payroll tax was also to go) to National Taxes.

Actually stamp duty wasn't abolished. It's still big time here in 
Victoria. Don't know about NSW or the other states. I pay stamp duty 
on my car reg each year and I believe some other payments, oh, rereg 
of my business. There is also hefty stamp duty on property sales.

The GST handover was Costello's 'bribe' to get the states to support 
the tax and eliminate the argy-bargy of the yearly grants to the 
states process. How well that's worked out is up for grabs. As you 
say, some states subsidise the smaller ones. That's called Federalism 
and was going on via income and corporate tax redistribution anyway. 
It's just that now there's a consumption tax to add to the pot. 
Income taxes were reduced, but not state stamp duty as was part of 
the original intent.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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