Taxation
What should the Australian Defence Force do?
Hint: the answer is in the name The Australian Defence Force (ADF) does lots of things it shouldn’t. Restrict the trading of others The Australian Defence Force (ADF) helps to enforce sanctions. It contributes in varying degrees to efforts to enforce sanctions endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, like sanctions against North Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and various countries in Africa,...
Don’t Pay the Pied Piper
More than anything, government is incompetent. It is staffed by people who, by and large, have been or would be unsuccessful in the private sector – whether the receptionist at your local motor registration office or the Prime Minister of Australia. Ultimately, we are aware of this. However, thanks in part to television programs such as The West Wing and...
The Lure of Government Benevolence
Why is it that in many countries, including Australia, governments consistently spend more than they collect in taxes, thus increasing the national debt? Most governments understand that budgets should be balanced. They have seen what happens in countries that accumulate too much debt and cannot service it. And yet, the debt keeps growing. The explanation is rather uncomfortable for many of...
It Takes Two To Tango
Australia’s centrally planned economy is failing - intergenerational wealth gaps are widening, economic prospects are waning, and the side effects from the Reserve Bank’s (RBA) medicine are becoming worse than the disease. Inflation is a scourge, insidiously stealing wealth from those least able to protect themselves, and it benefits the least needy. We hear all sorts of explanations as to why...
Other People’s Money
Philosophy #1: Living On Other People's Money Is Unwise When reading the news and opinion, I am frequently mindful of the idea of other people's money and the perceptive words of French economist Frederic Bastiat, who wrote that “The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.” I thought of Bastiat...
No Laffing Matter
An Australian was on holidays in the south of France. Strolling along outside his hotel, the Aussie was suddenly attracted by the screams of a young woman kneeling in front of a small child. The Aussie knew enough French to determine that the child had swallowed a coin. Seizing the little boy by the heels, the Aussie held the boy up and...
Full House?
As Australia grapples with a crisis of housing supply and affordability, the ‘M’ word is rapidly re-entering the lexicon, this time from both the conservatives and progressives. Yet I can’t help but wonder whether and how much Australia’s current levels of migration influences issues such as housing affordability. I believe this is a red herring that has allowed proper...
Death, Taxes and … Death Taxes?
“We know that there is a growing pot of wealth, sitting in the hands of older Australians that will be passed on in coming decades.” Gosh, that sounds juicy. What government could refuse the temptation to take a slice of that pie? However, that sentiment speaks to the fundamental flaw in the approach of our policy makers towards balancing our books...
4 Free Enterprise Policies Guaranteed To Make The Economy Roar!
Red tape is a productivity-sapping and innovation-destroying virus on business. Australia is feeling the effects of a generation of governments that believe any problem in the world can be solved with another little rule, constraint or compliance requirement. Australian business is suffering death by a thousand cuts. There are too many rules to actually know and obey. It’s worse than a mere...
