8 June 2012

Responses to the 2012 Budget

| johnboy
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First off the mark is the Heart Foundation who are pretty happy with the active living policies.


Chiming in the Liberals think it’s awful:

“Today’s Budget shows that the ACT Labor Government is costing the average Canberra
family over $10,000 every year,” Mr Seselja said today.

“Canberrans have never paid more, and have never received less in return.

“After 11 years of this Labor government, cost of living has spiralled out of control, basic
services have been neglected, and the deficit has blown out to almost $320 million.

“Under this Budget:

— The cost of basic government services will rise to over $10,000 every year.
— Car parking revenue will increase by 22 per cent, potentially adding hundreds of extra dollars to many households’ bottom line.
— Homeowners will be slugged with a rate increase of 9.6 per cent – on top of the doubling of rates that’s already occurred in many Canberra suburbs.
— Natural gas costs will rise by 11.5 per cent, and sewerage costs will rise by 8.2 per cent.


Meanwhile the Greens are all for the indulgence of running deficits under the guise of stimulus at Territory level but are wondering what we’re getting in exchange for saddling the future with debt:

“This Budget is about keeping the ACT economy ticking over. The Greens support protecting services, jobs and making smart investments,” Ms Hunter said.

“The point is how you spend the money. It has to be an investment in Canberra that will give benefits in the years ahead as we work to return to surplus.

“This Budget does not hit the mark in a number of areas, failing to shift funding into targeted and practical initiatives which will set Canberra up for the future.

“The investment in health is positive, but we still see a lack of funds for preventative health measures that will reduce demands on our system in the future.

“The same can be said for failure to prioritise sustainable transport, and a half-hearted effort on energy efficiency. It’s time to recognise the ongoing cost of remaining inefficient in how we move people and power our homes.


The Property Council has expressed its displeasure:

Property Council ACT Executive Director, Catherine Carter, says: “The Property Council has always supported taxation reform in the Territory, provided the reform leads to greater efficiency and fairness and does not further burden the property sector, which is already over-taxed.”

“The ACT Budget released today fails this test abysmally. Stamp duty in the ACT was Australia’s highest, but will now increase even further under arrangements announced today. A property owner paying stamp duty at the current rate of 6.75 percent today will pay 7.25 percent under the new regime, and will still pay 7.0 percent in five years’ time.”

“Commercial land tax has been abolished but this is no comfort because general rates have increased so much that the total amount paid will be significantly greater.”


The Chamber of Commerce is very happy with it.


The AHA had a lot of things to enthuse about.


More to come

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EvanJames said :

I heard the reportage in local radio this morning. It’s OK! The bad things only affect FAMILIES. The rest of us are OK.

Yeah. Barr doesn’t have a family, yet.

Now we are paying for the previous Chief Minister’s Personal Arboretum ($100m) and Actew’s “negative return” (loss) on TransACT investment ($50m).
And what is this nonsense about increased costs being offset by increased wages? Hello? A lot of us are retired either self-funded or on pensions. The carbon tax compensation is only for a limited period as well.
Barr is in la-la land. Doubt even if he will be re-elected after this mish-mash budget.

I heard the reportage in local radio this morning. It’s OK! The bad things only affect FAMILIES. The rest of us are OK.

Pantsman said – 1 particularly like the money for the “Integrity Package”, which appears to be all wrapper and no chocolates.

$95K per annum; read one SOGB drone in CMD doing “integrity”.

To clarify Pantsman – the funding does not provide addition staff to CMCD. The funds go directly to the Ombudsman.

“– Homeowners will be slugged with a rate increase of 9.6 per cent – on top of the doubling of rates that’s already occurred in many Canberra suburbs.”

Ahh Zed, I think that would be the doubling of land values that has led to doubling of rates in ‘many’ Canberra suburbs (and over what timeframe?). Are you suggesting these people would rather their land values be halved so they dont have to pay an extra $1k in rates??

Its not surprising that they are deferring the Gungahlin to Civic transport project, considering the deficit that they are running, but what is significant is that the ‘office’ for the project/study whatever its called now, is going to be located in the LDA. That is a very curious decision.

Why the LDA ?

Tetranitrate11:10 pm 05 Jun 12

As much as I truly dislike the Canberra liberals, this incompetent, arrogant government needs to go if only to clear out all the advisers plus assorted hangers on and to allow for some some fresh, less tainted people to enter the labor caucus in 4 years time.

Tetranitrate11:05 pm 05 Jun 12

urchin said :

Innovation said :

I know it will be phased in but presumably these stamp duty changes will become less of a disincentive for some people to move nearer to employment and other major activities when the locations of these change from time to time. If so, this should have flow on benefits for transport, roads, parking etc.

Let’s face it, they are not seeing the light on stamp duty because it makes good economic sense, they are seeing the light because the housing market is in a decline and volume is plummeting. Since they can’t get the bucks through selling land and transfers, they will get it from rates instead. Still it is a step in the right direction, i suppose…. though i too wonder if this “resolve” to eliminate stamp duty will last more than a few years (if that).

Thankfully, the higher rates go, the more prices will be dragged back down to earth over the medium to long term.

We need a Liberal Government to come on in and say we are living beyond our means and slash spending and sack public servants.

Only then will we learn.

CrocodileGandhi10:37 pm 05 Jun 12

A quick skim through Budget Paper 4 reveals some interesting things. For instance, it was estimated that ACTION would run at a loss of about $9.4 million in 2011-12. They actually had a loss of about $19 millon. As someone who knows a fair bit about budgeting at the federal level, I can tell you that is shockingly bad.

Innovation said :

I know it will be phased in but presumably these stamp duty changes will become less of a disincentive for some people to move nearer to employment and other major activities when the locations of these change from time to time. If so, this should have flow on benefits for transport, roads, parking etc.

Let’s face it, they are not seeing the light on stamp duty because it makes good economic sense, they are seeing the light because the housing market is in a decline and volume is plummeting. Since they can’t get the bucks through selling land and transfers, they will get it from rates instead. Still it is a step in the right direction, i suppose…. though i too wonder if this “resolve” to eliminate stamp duty will last more than a few years (if that).

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Holden Caulfield said :

Let’s save us all the bother…

“The ACT Budget 2012 is s***.”
–Canberra

Fixed it for you.

+ 1.

I particularly like the money for the “Integrity Package”, which appears to be all wrapper and no chocolates.

$95K per annum; read one SOGB drone in CMD doing “integrity”.

FFS, when can we get rid of these duds?

Considering gas is not a government service and the price is not regulated by the government, I’m not sure whether this should be included.

I know it will be phased in but presumably these stamp duty changes will become less of a disincentive for some people to move nearer to employment and other major activities when the locations of these change from time to time. If so, this should have flow on benefits for transport, roads, parking etc.

thy_dungeonman6:52 pm 05 Jun 12

“First off the mark is the Heart Foundation who are pretty happy with the active living policies.”

Only 7.3 million for footpaths and cycle paths and about 30 times that for roads, that’s less than last years budget (and I think they are just recycling the same figures but detracting what they have already spent). How can the heart foundation approve of this? I attended a woden community council meeting last year where a representative of the heart foundation criticized some of Canberra’s pedestrian “facilities” (not just how much we spent but the design of the facilities itself).

There were a vast number of suggestions for basic improvements to footpaths around woden (hardly trying to equal the level of road facilities let alone surpass them) but the line from the government representative was we only have so much money we will being doing 1 or 2 projects for each Canberra town center. I would hardly call it a big step in active living.

wildturkeycanoe6:51 pm 05 Jun 12

With the increase in companies going bust, more people being laid off from their jobs and slashing numbers in the PS, it’s going to be a little harder to negotiate that 3.5% pay rise later this year to compensate for all these increases…..but look on the bright side – cyclists will receive $1.5 million for new cycle paths!!!

VYBerlinaV8_is_back6:28 pm 05 Jun 12

Holden Caulfield said :

Let’s save us all the bother…

“The ACT Budget 2012 is s***.”
–Canberra

Fixed it for you.

Wow… natural gas costs going up? Parking costs going up?

Diddums.

Be more efficient in your use of resources (such as gas), and drive less (maybe ride a bike and help reduce the long-term burden on the healthcare system as well?).

The cost of basic government services will rise to over $10,000 every year

Natural gas costs will rise by 11.5 per cent, and sewerage costs will rise by 8.2 per cent.

I smell a rat. Are they including utility costs in with “basic government services”? Suggests a really simple solution: privatise them all–you still pay the same amount of money but it’s all OK because it’s not going to the government.

Holden Caulfield3:44 pm 05 Jun 12

Let’s save Zed and his mates the bother…

“The ACT Budget 2012 is s***.”
–Canberra Liberals

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