Thanksgiving.... here????

[journeyman Mick]

Gumby,
how do you feel about your taxes being used to support critically ill people and their partners who need to stay home to look after them?

Mick, who paid s**t loads of tax when he was contracting and employing and who is now on the receiving end.

[Iain]

No problems Mick, but I have problems with those who see it as their right not to work while I have no right to decide who is worthy of my contribution.
I refer to the chronically/professionally unemployed as opposed to those who cannot find a job or are in any other form of dire straits.

[boban]

NOW>... if the govt got off thier **** and made him pay up every week, then being on welfare for me, would probably be a non issue.

Some fathers who are left with $20 a week after paying up, seeing their kids get nothing, while their ex wife shacks up with a new guy (who pays nothing) might see it a little differently.

I've heard both sides and know that CSA eventually get the non paying fathers through the tax system or by garnishing his wages. It's just a pity that the govt doesn't think it appropriate that the mother has to account for the money she gets.

As for you Mick - I wish you got more of my tax dollars, your exactly why its there in the first place.

[Gumby]

Gumby,
how do you feel about your taxes being used to support critically ill people and their partners who need to stay home to look after them?

Mick, who paid s**t loads of tax when he was contracting and employing and who is now on the receiving end.

I haven't got a problem with it and never said I had.

[journeyman Mick]

Sorry, not having a go at anyone, just making the point that there's a lot of deserving cases out there. Governments on both wings have traditionally made recipients out to be bludgers and shirkers rather than victims. Of course there's those that try to rort the system, but I'm guessing it's a minority. At any rate it's a favourite government ploy to distract the public from poor government performance. Yes, social security costs a lot, and yes there's some (a lot?) who could possibly do without it. How much money is spent on politician's bloated salary and pension packages? Useless overseas travel? Changing the names and logos of government departments (rather than actually changing their culture or performance)? The list goes on and on, government wastes bucket loads of our tax dollars, but the recipients of the dole and single parents pensions always seem to cop a serve by the government and the press.

Mick

[gemi_babe]

boban for me, my situation is slightly different.

'he' has signed up in a franchise and CSA cannot touch his wages because that is taking money away from 'the company' and his 'business partner'.


Back on topic, my fear is that America have already got this system in place and it has tragic outcomes. We don't need more povity (sp?).

Australia followed America and built huge flats to house the welfare family's. That prooved to be a success didn't it? NO! It created a bigger problem. Well der!!!! Of course those in similiar situations are going to mingle and never get anywhere!

The way I see it, America is there, learn from thier mistakes... HA!!! No we just keep on following them. Here Boy!

[Gumby]

boban for me, my situation is slightly different.

'he' has signed up in a franchise and CSA cannot touch his wages because that is taking money away from 'the company' and his 'business partner'.

!

Gemmi,
That isn't correct. He earns wages, paid by the company and has a personal tax position as well as the company having a tax position. His personal taxable income is what they can hit , and should. He should be made to pay for his children, not the community and that was my point. He may however, be hidding income by paying himself a low wages from the company and that is more difficult to assess. If he is a director , he would be able to take 'drawings' from the company rather than wages. The franchise situation hasn't really got much to do with it.

Mick,
I agree that governments of all colours take way to much in taxes to fund all sorts of rorts, trips, and even more annoying they hand it out like lollies to all sorts of different bodies, councils and organised groups (particularly in the arts field) who have their noses firmly in the trough. We are being taxed out of existance and sometimes you feel that it just isn't worth the effort to push on. My Mum is a self funded retiree at 75 and still has to pay tax. I think that's bl**dy ridiculous. She's not wealthy but my parents saved all their lives, have a couple of investment properties (just small ones) and now this damn state government is hitting them with land tax on top of the income tax they pay. I can't see why people over 75 for instance, who can look after themselves shouldn't be rewarded with a tax free life at that point. They have earned it and are no burdon on anybody. It makes you think that maybe they should have just sold everything, gone and spent all their money on holidays and then returned home with nothing and qualify for the pension.

I don't want to sound mean here and I know that we have to pay taxes which help look after those in genuine need for whatever reason and that is how it should be. It's just the waste and the other stuff Iain mentioned in his post which gets me off my bike sometimes.

[Sturdee]

He may however, be hidding income by paying himself a low wages from the company and that is more difficult to assess. If he is a director , he would be able to take 'drawings' from the company rather than wages. The franchise situation hasn't really got much to do with it.

Ofcourse if the ATO was serious about getting child support evaders to pay than it would issue a Betterment Assesment. This takes into account all moneys spent in a year, consisting of declared income, black income and access to income hidden by way of loans, gifts and any capital moneys spent. Then it is up to the taxpayer to disprove that assesment. Which in my experience is damn nigh impossible.

Having issued an assesment the real income is known and support can be enforced.


Peter.

[gemi_babe]

Sturdee is that the correct term "Betterment Assessment"?

[Sturdee]

Kylie,


That's what it was called about 20 years ago when one of our clients was caught by the ATO. They couldn't work out where his money came from. So they calculated the value of his assets and 5 years previously. Then they estimated his living expenses and as such estimated his annual income and issued assessments.

It was hard to explain the increase in assets, but we did.


Peter.

[HappyHammer]

Sturdee is that the correct term "Betterment Assessment"?

Gemi,

If you've got kids to support he should absolutely be made to pay, if not I don't see why you should get anything.:eek:

HH.

[gemi_babe]

Thanks for that HH, we have a son together...

And he is being told to pay, but not made to pay... He gets told to pay every month, and every month he says he will, and never does... then it starts all over again. Last time I recieved a payment was in November.

Thanks Sturdee, I will ask them about that assessment.

[boban]

When it comes to tax time, he will be forced to pay up as the ATO and CSA are linked. If he owns the business and the business makes a profit, they can and will get what is due.

[adrian]

Neither Halloween nor Thanksgiving are American inventions. They were being observed in Great Britain when America was just a gleam in Columbus' dad's eye.
As for Australians giving thanks, it's just another indication of the rise of the ratbag religious right. The idea of thanksgiving is to give thanks to 'god' for everything you have. It makes no allowance for the fact that people have to work damned hard to get what they have and god doesn't come into it.
If there is anyone out there who can see evidence of a god at work..........good luck.

God certainly isn't in my workshop. I was making a cover for my nextdoor neighbour's pool filter when a nail from my nail gun took a sharp right turn and exited where my thumb was sitting. Then a couple of days later while the thumb was still hurting I was sanding a bowl and my hand slipped and hit the chuck. Then I was taking my new VM120 off the lathe and misjudged where the thread ends. The chuck only fell a short distance but a finger jambed between a 4kg hunk of metal and a cast iron bed ain't pleasant.
Still I suppose that I can give thanks to god that nothing has happened to my right hand. Touch wood.......................................Oh sheeeee! ...................a bloody splinter....................that's the last time I touch wood.
See you all in church!!!!

[Daddles]

Ahh Adrian, you took the Lord's name in vain and look what happened.

Cheers
Richard