For example, if federal income tax went down by 10%, the state tax surcharge would be 10% and federal grants would be cut by the amount that the state surcharge would raise.

At first this seems like a money shuffle, but the rationale is that the states would finally have a share of a tax that steadily grows and would therefore be better able to pay for the increasing costs of the things they need to pay for, like hospitals. And this, so the theory goes, means the states would take responsibility for running those services efficiently, instead of turning to the federal government for more money every time the costs blow out.

As proposed by Tony Abbott’s commission of audit (before the former prime minister ruled it out, calling it “double taxation”) the states would have the ability to raise or lower their surcharges.

And as Turnbull explains it, this is exactly what the commonwealth is proposing over time.

“We would agree that that [the direct shift in the quantum of taxing powers] would be the maximum [the states] would levy for a period. In future, on the longer term, a state should be free to lower that amount or indeed raise it and then they are accountable to their own voters,” he said.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/30/turnbulls-idea-to-end-tax-blame-game-threatens-to-break-morrisons-budget-pledge

 

You are allowed to throw Malcolm out the door...

 

Two states have rejected Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's radical push for states to set income taxes, while other premiers and chief ministers have delivered a mixed response.

Key points:

• South Australia and Tasmania say the plan for states to set income taxes is impractical
• SA's Jay Weatherill says it would be confusing and difficult to administer
• Will Hodgman says Tasmania could be disadvantaged against other states
• WA's Colin Barnett has given the warmest response to the plan

The plan, detailed today, would see federal income tax lowered, allowing the states and territories to levy their own additional percentage.

The new funding stream would help states fund schools and hospitals.

But South Australia and Tasmania say the idea will not work.

"That's something that wouldn't be practical," South Australian Labor Premier Jay Weatherill told the ABC.

"I couldn't imagine a state would be interested in doing that, it'd create a lot of confusion across the federation, it'd be very impractical to administer."

Tasmanian Liberal Premier Will Hodgman said the proposal would be unworkable, and that it could see Tasmania lose out to larger states.

"We have been through the argument before with the GST," Mr Hodgman said.

"We are a state that is small and with a demographic profile that would disadvantage us against other states."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-30/two-states-reject-turnbull-plan-for-state-set-taxes/7285214

The federal government would stop funding public schools while continuing to support private schools under a dramatic change to the nation's education system outlined by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

You have got to ask yourself whether we should not have clearer lines of responsibility 

Labor immediately accused Mr Turnbull of "walking away" from public school students and said the move would undo decades of work, including the Gonski school reforms, to lift standards in all the nation's schools. The proposal was originally contained in a discussion paper leaked to Fairfax Media last year. 

Mr Turnbull on Wednesday outlined his plans for states to be able to raise a proportion of income tax for the first time since WWII, a move he said would make them more accountable for the services they deliver.

On Thursday Mr Turnbull named school education as one area where the federal government could wind back its involvement if states could raise their own revenue.

"You could make a very powerful case for example that, if there was a revenue sharing, if the states had access to a portion of income tax, that they would have the resources and the money [to] have the responsibility for state schools," Mr Turnbull told ABC radio.

"I suspect no federal government would retreat from funding and continuing to support the non-government school sector because there would be a concern that they would not get a fair go from state governments who obviously would have a competing interest with their schools.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbulls-education-revolution-end-federal-support-for-public-schools-20160330-gnuo4l.html#ixzz44QocnXIt 
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

Yep. Going back to the 19th century on all fronts. Why not get rid of the Federal Government all together and each state can now become a colony of mother England once more. I wonder what our Mr Parkes was thinking when concocting the federation...

Where's Malcolm Turnbull's ticker? Time for him to be a leader and deal with Abbott instead of looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights, writes senior correspondent Barry Everingham.

IT WAS in February 2002 that Donald Rumsfeld muttered his infamous tongue twister about known and unknowns — in part and in retrospect there's a message for Malcolm Turnbull concerning Tony Abbott and it goes thus:

“ … each year, we discover a few more of those unknown unknowns. ... It isn't a riddle. It is a very serious, important matter... I've never seen anything like it!”

The important matter to Turnbull is Tony Abbott — arguably Australia's most hated ever prime minister and the most erratic ever holder of that high office.

Abbott's supporters are member of the Liberal Party's crazy right wing: Bernardi, Abetz, Andrews, Dutton, to name just a few. They make no secret they loathe Turnbull and will stop at nothing to unseat him and replace him with Abbott.

The most dangerous of the group is undoubtedly Peter Dutton, a former Queensland drug squad detective. He beavers away secretly and, it seems, Turnbull has so far refused to sideline him.

Turnbull's inability to act on the egregious group shows a weakness that didn't emerge before he managed to oust Abbott. His supporters thought they were handing Australia a man, not necessarily of steel, but certainly one of principle. At least when he appears overseas we were able to cease cringing, which we certainly did and still do when Abbott intermittently pops up in Kiev or London.

Turnbull: The Placebo Flamingo of politics. Bright, flashy with a brief sugar rush but ultimately ineffectual with barely a leg to stand on.

— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) March 25, 2016

Turnbull needs to publicly denounce Abbott — perhaps reminding him how decent former Prime Ministers behaved when they lost the top job: Whitlam, Keating, Hawke, Howard, Menzies and, for God's sake, even Gillard and Rudd. That pair have to be congratulated for biting their tongues.

Maybe Turnbull should send Julie Bishop to haul Abbott into line — she has served both men loyally, illustrating an ability to keep both well-heeled shoes in each camp. Abbott might even be naive enough be believe she supports him; for naive, let's just say stupid.

Turnbull's rash decision to be all over the place with his double dissolution election is fraught with danger. It's not an election he is likely to lose but it is an election that could seriously wing him and give the crazies the chance they are looking for.

Each day, Bill Shorten is displaying a maturity which up till now has escaped him and, sadly, although it's unlikely he can topple Turnbull, if he continues on his current track he can give the prime minister one hell of a shock.

Turnbull's lack of leadership reflected in polling: https://t.co/VcuHX9ekev

— Crikey.com.au (@crikey_news) March 20, 2016

Which gain it is something the right-wingers will be looking for.

But this is where I came in.

There remain known and unknowns!

So many Australians will be searching for the Malcolm they knew and loved. It's not too late for him to provide what they are looking for — not yet anyway.

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/strewth-turnbull-the-placebo-flamingo-of-australian-politics-who-knew,8829

 

 

Knew and loved? if you love fluff from you laundry drier, sure. Malcolm has walked the turd highway for a long time now, after his days as a "journalist" who revealed a spy's secrets... He would not do that these days. He has jumped the fence and sells crappy polices like Willy Loman...

 

William "Willy" Loman: The salesman. He is 63 years old and very unstable, tending to imagine events from the past as if they are real. He vacillates between different perceptions of his life. Willy seems childlike and relies on others for support. His first name, Willy, reflects this childlike aspect as well as sounding like the question "Will he?" His last name gives the feel of Willy's being a "low man," someone low on the social ladder and unlikely to succeed; however, this popular interpretation of his last name has been dismissed by Miller.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_Salesman

 

Yes, our hero can make it to the top but still be as useless as a brush-less broom.

 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the states will have "no credibility" when they ask his Government for more money in the future after rejecting a proposal to levy the income tax themselves.

Key points:

• "Overwhelming" response from states against changing taxes
• PM says states will not be able to ask Government for more money if they are not prepared to raise it themselves
• ACT chief minister says debacle has delayed reform of Federation

The idea was rejected at Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, with the Prime Minister arguing the money could have been used to invest in schools and hospitals.

Mr Turnbull told Sky News the states were not prepared to take on responsibility for increasing taxes.

"If they're not prepared to make the case to their citizens, through their Parliament, for higher taxes, they cannot seriously or credibly ask us to raise taxes to give money for them to spend," he said.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the idea had been taken off the table, so the states and territories would need to find an alternative plan.

 

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-03/states-unwilling-to-take-responsibility-for-increasing-taxes-pm/7295154

 

It is the job of the feral (sorry I mean federal) politicians to fix the annual budget for AUSTRALIA. There is such an entity called AUSTRALIA. We are Australian is the song line in our "National" anthem. This is not decoration. We don't sing "We are newsouthwelshpersons", or victorians, or taswegians, do we? If Malcolm is not up to the task of making a proper decision such as raising taxes on the RICH, but then shift the blame on others, this means he is not up the task of doing what he supposed to be doing, "running the county" — not try to blame others for his own incompetence, muddleheadedness and sneakiness. 

And of course so far as we know, Scott Morrison is nowhere near delivering a budget that will make sense beyond the crap-tricks that the con artist called Turnbum is trying to sell us. No sale, Mr.

 

The ALTERNATIVE plan from the states is to ask the "feral" government to resign, since it is not up to the job of doing what it should be. Malcolm, worse PM than Tony Abbott comes to mind...