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The "clean feed" legislation continues to be treated with the contempt it deserves. Australia's largest ISP, iiNet, has signed to up trials to explictly show how broken it is with Michael Malone describing Ministry Conroy as "The worst Communications Minister we've had in the 15 years since the [internet] industry has existed", describing the proposal as "useless, inefficient and ineffectual". Watch the minister squirm like a stuck pig from some serious questions from Greens Senator, Scott Ludlam.
hasimir provides an excellent EFA analysis of past and present proposals. A much cleaner feed has been achieved with a provider responsible for 75% of the world's spam knocked offline.
Let me go on my favourite economic rant for a minute: Land tax improves productivity. Land tax increases rates of employment. Land tax increases the quantity and quality of buildings. Land tax cuts the cost of goods and services. Land tax reduces tax bill of workers and capitalists. Land tax reduces the environmental footprint. Land tax reduces tax evasion. I am prepared to explain to anyone who cares to ask why this is so; and now Australia, courtesy of Treasury Secretary Dr. Ken Henry is about to adopt it with some gusto.
Went to Kerry Greenwood's booklaunch for Murder on a Midsummer Night in Yarraville this morning, which was well attended; the Santa and Elves acapella advertisement was amusing. On other writing topics, I've had a slower past few days on NaNoWriMo; now up to c30,000 words. Have also written a review for Middle Earth Role Playing for RPG.net which should go up soon. Playing MERP on Friday night, will be running RuneQuest on Sunday night, have created new scenes for Powers & Perils and HeroQuest PBeMs (none of which, regrettably count towards NaNoWriMo).
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Let me go on my favourite economic rant for a minute: Land tax improves productivity. Land tax increases rates of employment. Land tax increases the quantity and quality of buildings. Land tax cuts the cost of goods and services. Land tax reduces tax bill of workers and capitalists. Land tax reduces the environmental footprint. Land tax reduces tax evasion. I am prepared to explain to anyone who cares to ask why this is so; and now Australia, courtesy of Treasury Secretary Dr. Ken Henry is about to adopt it with some gusto.
Went to Kerry Greenwood's booklaunch for Murder on a Midsummer Night in Yarraville this morning, which was well attended; the Santa and Elves acapella advertisement was amusing. On other writing topics, I've had a slower past few days on NaNoWriMo; now up to c30,000 words. Have also written a review for Middle Earth Role Playing for RPG.net which should go up soon. Playing MERP on Friday night, will be running RuneQuest on Sunday night, have created new scenes for Powers & Perils and HeroQuest PBeMs (none of which, regrettably count towards NaNoWriMo).
no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 12:30 pm (UTC)By and large if it is a Commonwealth tax, the states can't use it...
no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 09:58 pm (UTC)In terms of implementation and collection (using whatever legislation is in place), I'd say that the SRDs are actually quite good at it.
I'll grant that there may be problems at the legislative/policy level but there would be enormous electoral resistance to (to use a WA example) removing the exemption on the principle place of residence.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 12:26 am (UTC)It was, from memory, only going to apply to houses worth more than $1 million - but at the time everyone in the northern suburbs (where Labor won government) was seeing ridiculous property growth and thought their shitty four bedroom single-brick on a postage stamp block was going to be worth a million bucks in a year or so.
The back bench arced up, Cabinet's spine went to jelly, and it disappeared off the agenda - but I think it would be wrong to read more than that into it.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 12:59 am (UTC)What I remember though is that the residential exemption is the biggest single exemption from Land Tax in WA.
There are others - charitable, education, etc - but the WA legislation has always been set up as an "all land is taxable unless stated otherwise" principle so pretty much all commercial properties are already subject to it.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 01:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-18 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-18 08:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 09:37 pm (UTC)It would also make an appropriate day of protest for webadmins..
no subject
Date: 2008-11-15 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 04:02 am (UTC)By the way, I just made another post on one of the more technical aspects of the policy. One of the nasty little things buried in the report and one likely to cause a lot of fuss when the businesses of Australia realise the implications.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 01:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 05:19 am (UTC)Post on Slashdot here on the topic.
Even better though is Michael's actual post on Whirlpool.
Knowing MM, he's really really fired up about this and the politicians should be worried if he's intending to get into their playpool.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 11:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 08:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 11:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 11:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-16 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 03:25 am (UTC)A general principle to be applied in these circumstances is usufruct; so if the land is damaged by a person's use then they are liable for the damage they caused.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-17 05:25 am (UTC)