brickies wrote:

---

We should see if Cindy could set up a Sub Forum , Could be called what can we get fo free / lets have a whinge

---

 It could be called the anti freedom of speech thread Brickie....that'll keep you occupied.

Rocky my main man, you truly are a mine of information.

Gday...

yeah ... this heat is somewhat draining and a cool place is advantageous.

However, it isn't jest "killing time" ... I have a failing - just one of many  - that when a comment is made that is mis-information (usually also perpetrated by, at minimum, misinformed media) - I jest can't help meself. 

Cheers - stay well, travel safely and keep cool - John

Im more interested to know who or what is the average Aussie?

-- Edited by Evernew98 on Wednesday 16th of January 2019 12:52:10 PM

No such thing has average Aussie , Even when we have an election 50.1 % vote one way and 49.9 % vote other way .

LUCKY LOZ wrote:

---

I know for a FACT that we are on of the highest taxed countries in the WORLD.

---

What do you base that on? Where are the figures you base that on? Please give us some sites that have been truly researched that back that up. When you are comparing taxation between countries you have to take all taxes into account and not cherry a few different items or taxes.

List of countries by tax revenue to GDP ratio. Click on the top of the RH column and see how far we are down the list we are. The countries above us are mostly the ones with little social security and poor living conditions. (BTW, it is a later version of the bottom graph in Rocky's reply. Since that date most of the countries below us have now moved to be above us.)

Yes its all good to post photos of PERSONAL income tax and graphs BUT lets not forget the GST, Stamp duty.Petrol excise, Alcopops tax , Fire levy, Transport levy, ambulance levy,
Electricity prices, National parks entry fees, beach driving permits, fishing licenses .import duty and a myriad more.
"Australians pay at least 125 different taxes each year. Of these, 99 are levied by the Australian government (including 67 agricultural levies), 25 by the States and 1 (council rates) by local government."
But my council charges far more than one.
1.Volunteer Fire brigade charge
2.Emergency management levy
3.Koala habitat acquisition charge.
4.Open space maintenance charge.
5. Recreational space charge
6. City transport improvement charge.
This is on top of our General Rate charge and Waste management charges.
So a lot more than just Personal Income Tax.

P.S Loved your joke Jay&Dee.

Gday...

I fully understand what you are trying to say Lucky. However, it is something of a 'myth' how Straya is SO disadvantaged because of excessive taxes.

This graph shows total tax REVENUE (a total of ALL taxes received by Australian governments) as a % of Gross Domestic Product (The Gross Domestic Product measures the value of economic activity within a country. Strictly defined, GDP is the sum of the market values, or prices, of all final goods and services produced in an economy during a period of time).

It can be clearly seen that Australia is not 'excessively' taxed on a world comparison -

This graph shows the composition of federal, state and local taxes and it shows that state and local taxes are a quarter of the volume of the federal component/s.

From our domestic point of view, we seem to be taxed on anything and everything. However, in comparison we are not only living in the best country, but are not being taxed to the extent of many other countries - even those of comparable standards of living to ours. Indeed, our high standard of living is influenced by the amount of tax we pay to provide, and receive, the range of services that we need to maintain that standard of living.

Take the time to read this link, AND the other links that have been provided in this thread - 

https://treasury.gov.au/review/tax-white-paper/chart-data/2-australias-tax-system/

I feel the 'myth' depends on if it is an election year and which pollie is pushing their respective barrow. 

Cheers - John

Thanks rockylizard for seeing where i am coming from unlike other guru,s. I love Aus and aways will, but IMHO we pay too much tax and fees and levy,s blah blah blah, for the more pedantic.

How Australians income taxes compare with other countries
Anthony Keane, Personal finance writer, News Corp Australia Network
May 20, 2017 10:00pm
GIVING the government between one-third and half of each dollar you earn is nobodys idea of a good time.

Thats what millions of Aussies do through their pay packet every week, and it looks like the Federal Government is going to grab a bigger slice. But would we really want the alternative?

Tax talk has been loud in Canberra as pollies clash over the Budget plan to increase the Medicare Levy by 0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent a year, and opposition parties want high income earners to pay more.

We already live in one of the highest-taxed nations in the world. Our top tax rate paid by people earning more than $180,000 a year is 45 per cent, but then added to that is the 2 per cent Medicare Levy and the 2 per cent temporary deficit levy that ends in July, but not if Labor and other parties get their way.



Many countries have lower top tax rates, and financial services giant KPMG says the global average is 33 per cent. It says New Zealands top income tax rate is 33 per cent, in the US its 39.6 per cent, Indias is 35 per cent, Hong Kong 15 per cent, Singapore 22 per cent and Russia 13 per cent.


Australias top income tax rate is higher than many countries, and the global average.
Countries with similar or higher income tax rates than ours include Japan (56 per cent), Britain (45 per cent), Denmark (56 per cent), Germany (45 per cent), Austria (55 per cent) and The Netherlands (52 per cent).

However, many nations top tax rates kick in at much higher levels than Australias $180,000. In the US the threshold is $US233,000 for a single person and in Austria its one million euros.

The overall picture is that Australians pay plenty of income tax. For that we get to live in the greatest country in the world, with one of the best healthcare systems and most generous welfare systems on the planet.

'Does Australia have high taxes?
The tax rates in Australia are among the highest in the world. '
Yes it's true and read the the overall picture line.
And please showing graphs from 2012 and 2015 are very outdated. Also I said " We are one of the highest taxed countries in the world"
There are about 195 countries in the world. To show OECD graphs and Stats, which only include about 36 countries is only comparing less than 20%of the countries in the world. Back to Google folks!! LOL.

Gday...

Lucky, I do fully understand what you mean ... and have understood that you were referring, mainly, to personal income tax.

It is also fully recognised by both the current government, and previous governments of both colours, that Straya is too dependent on personal income tax to fund the expenditure required. Genuine tax reform is well overdue but governments of all colours are reluctant to do anything 'sensible' because they fear it will impact on their electoral fortunes. Any reduction in personal income tax and/or indirect taxes will impact on any government's ability to provide the services and welfare etc that is currently supported.

However, you introduced the 'wide range' of indirect taxes we are hit with ... which when combined with the personal income tax means that, overall, we in Straya are not that badly off - tax-wise.

One needs to wait for the outcome of the next election to see if the promised 'tax relief' proposed by the 'then' Treasurer, now PM, will get through and become law - the legislation to broaden the tax 'brackets' and remove/relieve 'tax creep' that provides a considerable increase in the government's take via personal income tax simply by our wages growing - through inflation or promotion or other things.

In all, yep we pay taxes ... praps too high ... but that tax revenue to government provides all the goods, services and welfare (included old phart pensions) that we all enjoy and what makes this country one of the best to be in. I certainly am not interested in moving to any of the overseas countries I have worked in in the past 30 years.

Cheers - stay well, travel safely and keep some money in a sock under the bed - John

rockylizard wrote:

---

Lucky, I do fully understand what you mean ... and have understood that you were referring, mainly, to personal income tax.

It is also fully recognised by both the current government, and previous governments of both colours, that Straya is too dependent on personal income tax to fund the expenditure required. Genuine tax reform is well overdue but governments of all colours are reluctant to do anything 'sensible' because they fear it will impact on their electoral fortunes. Any reduction in personal income tax and/or indirect taxes will impact on any government's ability to provide the services and welfare etc that is currently supported.

---

 Personal income tax is a higher proportion of the total taxation than in many other countries. However we are not taxed highly when you consider the total tax receipts. Our governments need to maintain their current spending (or nearly as much) to maintain the services and protection that we desire. Maybe Lucky and the other complainers can advise what taxes they recommend to increase so that personal taxation can be reduced.

You know, people in this day and age shouldn't be winging about paying huge taxes etc.

Back in my day.. yes, yes,yes I know. I paid 45c in the dollar and was earning less than half of the $180,000. I also paid 18% interest on my mortgage. Sales tax at higher rates than the GST. My attitude is if you earn it then pay the tax.

I am more worried about what these taxes are spent on and the huge differences in the haves and have nots.

If" as appears to be the case, there is too great a reliance on the collection of personal income tax in the overall taxation mix, surely there is a case to look at ensuring that Business and Corporates actually pay the (now reduced) rate of tax they should. Yes, that will require the reduction of "offsets" etc. But there is an argument to made that, if wages are stagnant (tick), and company profitability is increasing (tick), there is an ability - if not an obligation - to perhaps tip the balance away from "Shareholder Value", to "Social conscience". This might actually mean putting in a little more, to better balance the tax take?" Agree 2 Smiths