Roll Back the GST

[Sojourner]

Considering Labor's thoughts on the GST, now that they have the opportunity, will it be rolled back?

[mick]

Considering Labor's thoughts on the GST, now that they have the opportunity, will it be rolled back?

Won't ever happen. GST is here to stay.

[smac]

Won't ever happen. GST is here to stay.

Agree with that, Mick.

The cost financially would be intolerable for a newly elected government and the cost socially (increase in income taxes and the low likelihood of a corresponding price decrease for most products and services) would undo all of the campaigning they have done over the past 12 months.

They'll cripple us another way.

[Mr66]

Did you know that Income tax was brought in as a TEMPORARY measure to
help fund World War 1.
Politcians/Governments will always bleat about the morality of a new tax but
when they realise what a windfall it is.......

[blueandwhite]

never stand in the way of a politician and a bag of money............

[TroyGFC]

GST will not be rolled back, as the people more or less voted FOR that years ago. (I did not!!)

[Psyber]

GST will not be rolled back, as the people more or less voted FOR that years ago. (I did not!!)

I'm not keen on it either really, it is the only tax I can't work out a way to avoid paying if I chose to!!

I haven't totally avoided income tax, because that would have involved living overseas or the expense of setting up tax havens. But for example, you can manufacture overseas and pay your shipping costs to your Liberian shipping line so that you make no profit anywhere but Liberia, and bingo you are Aussie tax free - unless the b's have a GST.

[Hondo]

It will never go away. Most advanced countries have a goods & services tax in some form. Its actually a fairer and better tax system than relying on personal income tax.

If it did - all our personal income taxes would go up to compensate and we'd be in the same position. The GST has funded all the income tax cuts since it went in.

They'd be better off pushing the States to make good on their promises to scrap Stamp Duty - cars, HOMES, etc

[heater31]

Now that the GST has been here for 7 years it should now be applied to everything not as is the current setup that a now redundant political party demanded it have.

[Squawk]

No chance the state and territory govts will allow the GST to be rolled back - they are dependent on it for their survival and any abolition would need to be made up for in other ways. With coast to coast labor govts there is actually an opportunity now for the tax to be increased - not likely to happen in year 1 but once the health and education payments to jurisdictions have been sorted out stand by for possibly a modest increase to fund special payments to cover the rising health costs of an ageing population along with new computers for every child in high school.

[mighty_tiger_79]

keep the GST as it is, but scrap income tax

the govt just grab everyones cash any which way

will the govt reduce the petrol excise tax???????? unlikely

[TroyGFC]

Keep the GST but remove all hidden stamp duties.

[Ian]

there is actually an opportunity now for the tax to be increased -

If they got rid of ALL other taxes, stamp duties and "levies" and replaced them with an increase, I would be all for an increase in GST, it would make it a much easier system.

[Psyber]

there is actually an opportunity now for the tax to be increased -

If they got rid of ALL other taxes, stamp duties and "levies" and replaced them with an increase, I would be all for an increase in GST, it would make it a much easier system.

And if they'd just let me pay GST and have my accountant recover what refunds they owe me next time he puts my returns in that would help. Putting in regular returns is a pain, and time consuming. [I admit I don't keep my business records constantly up to date - income earning takes priority.]