Watch your wallet

Commenting on the story: Lucas target speeding motorists as GST loss clawed back

As seems to be the normal practice this time of year, the Government of the day increases charges that affect just about everyone.

However this year we are being told it is due to a half a billion dollar loss of GST revenue.

My question is how did we end up in this position in the first place? Do we lack a Treasurer who is willing to take on Canberra for a fair share of GST revenue?

Just lately in this and other decisions made we appear to have a state government that bends over backwards to help their Federal counterparts.

“Half a billion loss in GST Revenue?” “Sure thing. We’ll just slug the poor suffering SA tax payer for the shortfall.”

For SA’s sake, Premier Marshall, you and your ministers need to grow a pair and go in and fight for SA.

Tom Playford would be rolling in his grave at your abysmal kowtowing. – Richard Gray

Wow. Let’s see if the pubs and clubs can sustain that increase. Might be a few close their doors. – David Greer

Lucas could just as easily increase the revenue take by introducing ‘day-fines’. Quoting from Wikipedia: 

“A day-fine, day fine, unit fine or structured fine is a unit of fine payment that, above a minimum fine, is based on the offender’s daily personal income.

A crime is punished with incarceration for a determined number of days, or with fines. As incarceration is a financial punishment, in the effect of preventing work, a day-fine represents one day incarcerated and without salary.

It is argued to be just, because if both high-income and low-income population are punished with the same jail time, they should also be punished with a proportionally similar income loss.

An analogy may be drawn with income tax, which is also proportional to the income, even progressively. 

Jurisdictions employing the day-fine include Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland and Macao.” – Robert Jameson

Beauty in eye of beholder

Commenting on the story: “Phallic, hideous”: Unlucky $2m sculpture’s new Adelaide home

Has Anne Moran ever supported anything? – Peter Petrou

Want to comment?

Send us an email, making it clear which story you’re commenting on and including your full name (required for publication) and phone number (only for verification purposes). Please put “Reader views” in the subject.

We’ll publish the best comments in a regular “Reader Views” post. Your comments can be brief, or we can accept up to 350 words, or thereabouts.

InDaily has changed the way we receive comments. Go here for an explanation.