Recently the Federal Government has been spruiking about its success in recovering billions of, previously avoided, tax dollars from foreign companies/businesses, enabling Canberra to offer lower tax rates to Australian taxpayers.
When will our national leaders wake up to the fact that by proclaiming an adjustment to Australian Eastern Standard Time i.e., advancing ALL clocks on the eastern seaboard by 30 minutes – PERMANENTLY – Canberra will be in a position to improve the offer or provide for future drastic occurrences – or both.
This is how it would work:-
2200 Queensland businesses incur extra costs totalling more than five thousand million dollars between October and April each year that clocks on the eastern seaboard are ‘out of sync’. (CCIQ Report 2010).
By turning losses into profits, tax dollars accrue. At 20 cents in the dollar, the federal coffers are missing out on one thousand million dollars of income tax every year.
The CCIQ ‘represents more than 400,000 small and medium businesses across Queensland’ (CCIQ website). How many of those could be added to the 2200 in 1 above if the survey done in 2010 was to be extended? What would the $5 Billion become?
What are the comparative figures for New South Wales and Victoria? Has a similar survey been undertaken? Where are the figures, PWC?
Within Section 51 (xv) of the constitution, the Federal Government has the powers to adjust time zones – this they did during the two World Wars.
Recent national disasters across Australia have strained the coffers of Canberra and other jurisdictions. The states are locked in an inertial attitude towards using the powers they presently have to adjust AEST and remove this anomaly.
DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES. When will the Federal Government intervene and address this situation? The proceeds from the extra taxes generated would create the basis of a NATIONAL DISASTER FUND. If we are to believe that these occurrences will be more frequent, then why not prepare for them NOW?
Funds would then be ‘available’ to compensate those suffering from such catastrophes as that in place in North and Central Queensland.
This takes the pressure off current commonwealth and state strained budgets and saves the decision makers from having to call on charities, and taxpayers’ funds, on an ‘ad hoc’ basis.
Sandstone Point. Qld.
2nd March 2019
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