Oz Federal Election 2013 - Discussion and Comments

[cove]

We pay FBT quarterly to the ATO and it is one of those time wasting taxes that are part of the red tape of being in business.
FBT makes it on to a credit card or two and thanks for asking Moody.
We all get one vote at the next election whenever that may occur.
There is a savage downturn in some businesses so expect layoffs to come thicker and faster. Job adverts are becoming a thing of the past. Hopefully all our AFF members jobs remain safe.
Opening the mail is a real treat...we had 2 firms go bust on consecutive days so July 2013 is tricky. We insure our debtors but we still have to be very careful in times like these.

 

[medhead]

Shouldn't cove pay FBT on the value of the award flights "earned"? What does the ATO have to say about such benefits?

[Disclaimer - a chunk of my points are earned from work flights]

In what way is paying tax a fringe benefit? In any case FBT relates to benefits provided to employees.

 

[amaroo]

We pay FBT quarterly to the ATO and it is one of those time wasting taxes that are part of the red tape of being in business.
FBT makes it on to a credit card or two and thanks for asking Moody.
We all get one vote at the next election whenever that may occur.
There is a savage downturn in some businesses so expect layoffs to come thicker and faster. Job adverts are becoming a thing of the past. Hopefully all our AFF members jobs remain safe.
Opening the mail is a real treat...we had 2 firms go bust on consecutive days so July 2013 is tricky. We insure our debtors but we still have to be very careful in times like these.

Yes, tough times are very much on the way.

Not sure real life experience is all that interesting to some on here

 

[Moody]

In what way is paying tax a fringe benefit? In any case FBT relates to benefits provided to employees.

What I mean is that by paying the tax bill (a business expense) with a credit card the points earned can be turned into flights. If those flights are for business purposes then that 's all good, if not then there is a tangible benefit that is subject to further tax. Technically. But we all do this to some extent so I am not throwing stones, just conjectoring.

 

[Hvr]

On a slight tangent the AEC is recruiting for casual workers if anybody wants some work on the booths.

 

[medhead]

What I mean is that by paying the tax bill (a business expense) with a credit card the points earned can be turned into flights. If those flights are for business purposes then that 's all good, if not then there is a tangible benefit that is subject to further tax. Technically. But we all do this to some extent so I am not throwing stones, just conjectoring.

It all depends on the structure, which is unknown. It might be a personal tax bill for example, or something.

 

[quokka77]

They are always thus, IMHO. [And I thought Australia was getting over this gambling fixation]

Anyway - Monday's are my favourite viewing night. Media Watch with Paul Barry at the helm really went to town on Rupert Murdoch and the secret Sun tapes.

Not condoning betting at all, just interested to see what sort of money punters are willing to put down on a given outcome. The bookies are generally very astute judges. Coalition is out to 1.33 after that last 50:50TPP Newspoll, and Labor now paying 3.20. You'd be feeling clever if you got on them at $8. As always with opinion polls, you need a couple of weeks to establish a trend.

Agree, Monday night's MediaWatch was classic viewing, despite the abysmal quality of the Murdoch voice recording. I wonder whether he'll get to keep his BSkyB licence. Could be a very costly mistake (as well as amazingly cynical duplicity). Didn't stick around for Q&A: a bit tired of that format, much prefer Insiders. An interesting website for politically minded folks following the election: The Conversation will have independent experts doing fact checks on policies and political statements as they come out. Fact check Views & Research - The Conversation Recent examples include Tony Abbott's claim that due to Federal bureaucracy it now takes 3 years to get a mine approved where it used to take 1 year (this is apparently mostly untrue), and his claim that scrapping the carbon tax will reduce power prices (he's right, probably by 5% for an average Victorian householder).

 

[wmetz]

I wish my boss would be happy if I charged them $9000 of personal expenses, just like Mr Tony. Seemed a little unhappy when asked about it.

And Mr Tony shouldn't be worried, short price winners always win, just look at Wimbledon last week.

 

[drron]

The news about TA and his repayments is 2 years old.So just how did it come to light now.Not a leak from Mr. trust me now I have changed and dont indulge in negative politics anymore is it?
Besides there were 65 MPs on the list who repayed money including Tony Burke and Julia Gillard.Why not snide remarks about them as well.

 

[wmetz]

Maybe because he kept attacking Mr Slippy's $900 travel charges. Yet it ok for someone to be 10 times over that same amount.

Finally the media realizing that Mr Tony just doesn't have one policy, and Mud not sticking to Tin Tin.

 

[medhead]

The news about TA and his repayments is 2 years old.So just how did it come to light now.Not a leak from Mr. trust me now I have changed and dont indulge in negative politics anymore is it?
Besides there were 65 MPs on the list who repayed money including Tony Burke and Julia Gillard.Why not snide remarks about them as well.

The time lag is bizarre. But I half heard something last night about the list only just coming out. Or someone only just asking the question.

Still the timing is a bit irrelevant. More important is the principles involved.

 

[Mak404matt]

The news about TA and his repayments is 2 years old.So just how did it come to light now.Not a leak from Mr. trust me now I have changed and dont indulge in negative politics anymore is it?
Besides there were 65 MPs on the list who repayed money including Tony Burke and Julia Gillard.Why not snide remarks about them as well.

It was found through a FOI request by ex Fairfax journalist Margot Kingston, which she published on her website NoFibs.

See here: EXCLUSIVE: Abbott forced to repay $9,400 he charged taxpayers to promote his book

I think what is the issue is the irony of the Slipper thing over $900, when Abbott has done 10x that.

 

[wmetz]

Question: If you charged your employer 10 times your expenses, what would happen to you. No more frequent flyer miles ????

 

[Limewood]

Digging up dirt is not uncommon, my feeling is the libs might just have something the sleeve but waiting to pounce when election date is known.

 

[drron]

Except that Mr Slippy's $900 to pay back was in addition to the $17400 he had already paid back.

 

[Moody]

Except that Mr Slippy's $900 to pay back was in addition to the $17400 he had already paid back.

And how does that compare to the amount Peter Reith was forced to pay back?

And who is Mr Slippy???? Could it be the same MP that Mal "Abuse of Judicial Process" Brough has been undermining for years? This is the Mal Brough who racked up over $8000 travel in the last half of 2012 courtesy of the Gold Pass he received from John Howard??? Any chance of him paying that back? No - I thought not.

So let's crucify the former speaker of the house for $900 of cabcharges he incurred whilst serving under Tony Abbott - even though he offered to pay them back as EVERY OTHER POLITICIAN has been allowed to do.

 

[medhead]

Did he offer to pay back the $900?

Howard had a long string of dodgy dealers in his first term. Reith was the one at which he stopped demoting them, iirc.

 

[Moody]

Did he offer to pay back the $900?

Howard had a long string of dodgy dealers in his first term. Reith was the one at which he stopped demoting them, iirc.

Yep - he offered ..... but the department refused saying that it was sub-judice and out of their hands.

A familiar AFP smell over Slipper and #Ashby

And Reith was a true Howard Hero - willing to throw the truth overboard in the name of re-election, and not averse to illegal anti-union tactics either.

 

[Mak404matt]

New AMR poll just out

2 Party Preferred: ALP 51 LNP 49

2 Party Preferred with Turnbull as LNP leader: ALP 43 LNP 57

Let ReTurnbull begin!

 

[BadgerBoi]

New AMR poll just out

2 Party Preferred: ALP 51 LNP 49

2 Party Preferred with Turnbull as LNP leader: ALP 43 LNP 57

Let ReTurnbull begin!

I enjoyed the look on Malcolm's face on Q&A on Monday when he was asked about Tony's pamphlet. He muttered the words "real solutions for Australians" with a face that looked as though someone had just wiped dogsh1t under his nose. Priceless.