The Australian Federal Government has decided to impose a flood levy to help with the clean up in the wake of all of the flooding that's happened over in Queensland. Here's the news:
The Federal Government will impose a one-off flood levy of 0.5 per cent for middle-income earners, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.
A levy of 0.5 per cent will be applied on taxable income between $50,001 and $100,000 and a levy of 1 per cent will be applied on taxable income above $100,000.
"Anyone earning under $50,000 will not pay the levy,'' Ms Gillard told the National Press Club today.
"In other words it is not like the Medicare levy, which for most taxpayers applies to all their income - it is like income tax rates which apply only above certain income levels.''
Someone who earns an income of $60,000 will pay just under $1 extra per week under the levy, Ms Gillard said.
"A person earning $100,000 per year will pay just under an extra $5 per week,'' she said.
The levy would apply only in the 2011-12 financial year and was expected to raise $1.8 billion, she said.
Ooh, I'm going to blog about this.
And for starters, I don't hate it as much as you might think.
You might argue that's because, as a low-income earner, I'm exempt. Yes, I'm on about 35k a year, so I don't have to pay a cent.
My missus does, however, but she's not far over 50k, and we're only looking at about $40 or thereabouts for the year. I can live with that.
A lot of people hate it though. When the news broke, the main story on perthnow.com.au generated more than 400 comments, most of whom were having a whinge. I spoke to a few people at work about it, too, and they said they weren't happy about it either.
If you don't live in Australia, movies and media might have you thinking of this country like we're a bunch of laid back folks, generally happy to help out a neighbour in need. G'day mate, and all that.
Yeah right. We care about our fellow person about as much as everyone else on this rock does - that is, hardly at all. Unless something is actually happening to them, most Australians don't really give a shit.
To be honest, there's a part of me that actually likes this levy. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Australian government atall, they're as corrupt as they come. They could fork the bill themselves, it's not like they don't have the money, they just don't want to.
No, I like it because they're going after the rich. The selfish bastards at the top, those for whom people like me have worked their backsides off for, finally they've gotta cough the fuck up. Bosses like so many I've had, they're as self-centred as they come. They wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.
The only way to get people like that to give to other people is to make it law, because the cunts wouldn't do it otherwise.
This all said, I do feel sorry for the few who have already helped out, perhaps by donating in some way. Good on you, guys, people like you who have given voluntarily make the world a better place to live. I can understand, completely, how this might dissaude those types from doing so again, and don't believe they should also have to pay this levy.
Still, some of the comments people have been making sicken me. Seriously, some guy who gets $100k a year chucks a hissy fit because he's going to have to pay about $250 towards this. What kind of a wanker are you, really? $250 is like loose change to someone like you.
People like that, I don't much enjoy having to share this world with. We'd be better off without them.
