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One Nation leader John Fischer has taken a stance on tax zone allowances that is unlikely to win him much support in the Kimberley. Mr Fischer said that while it was quite possible the Federal Government would give an increase in tax zone allowances to shore up Federal Member Barry Haase's credibility on taxation, to be of any use it would have to be a sizable rebate in excess of $2000. John Fischer said that the tax delaying schemes readily available to the very rich, but which the tax department was trying to stop workers using, offered far better incentives for most people than paltry zone allowances. |
"I am not aware that the validity of zone allowances has ever been tested in the courts, but they are likely to be found to be barred by the Constitution that requires taxation to be equally applied", he said. "In any case it would take a zone rebate far larger than anything that the government is likely to countenance to influence the socially destructive practice of fly in fly out. What the Federal Member should be doing is lobbying the government to make the Grants Commission take fly in fly out into consideration when determining grants to Shires", John Fischer said. |
"They should also remove all fringe benefits tax from subsidised employee accommodation. "We need to get serious about rapidly improving the facilities and infrastructure available to rural and regional areas, or make all boarding school costs fully tax deductible. Real wages have probably gone down in the mining industry over the last 10 years and the only reason that they appear high is that people are working very long hours in what is often a dangerous industry," Mr Fischer said. |