Now that’s what I call a ute!
Australian issues, Media, Plantation owners scams values - - Posted on September, 4 at 3:48 pm by Sean
As journalists at The Australian and elsewhere know, many of us bloggerers think they are increasingly shit at their jobs.
I’ve had a quick google of the news on Senator Fielding’s vote against the luxury car tax. The tax would have applied to cars costing over roughly $57K. Senator him say:
“There’s no way that Family First can vote for a bill that’s going to put up a tax for farmers and tourism, that’s just crazy.
“They’re already doing it so tough at the moment.”
And in my trawl of the internet, I found no example of any journalist calling bullshit on this flagrant steaming pile of chewed up herbeage from a male cow’s arse.
If a farmer is using a car as a tool of the trade, (s)he is referring to the ute. A spanking new Hi-lux costs about $33K, surfers. It’s true that yer standard squatocracy Statesman costs just over $60K. Now you may say that I’ve been forced at professional gunpoint to read too many income tax decisions, and from the point of view of my mental health you’d be right, but I’d bet next year’s return that said sedan would not count as a work expense.
Honestly, journos, find a mirror. Is it really true that all any politician has to do to escape from you lot, and wreak senseless havoc with the elected government’s budget, is say either “peadophile” or “farmer”? Are follow up questions just too rude?
Disclosure: the blogger owns some acres of Australian grazing dirt. He soon plans to spend a few grand on some shouse 4th hand ute for to carry barbed wire and star pickets in. Oooh, he thinks, how about a free Statesman? Farmer. FARMER! Give me luxury car now!
Posted in Australian issues, Media, Plantation owners scams values |
September 4th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I also thought mr fielding’s comments about BMW, SAAB, etc getting through under the Greens amendment not being fair was a bit wiffy. A quick look at the SAAB and BMW websites shows that you must select the littlest engines on the smallest models to have a hope of getting to 7l/100k which I think was the limit specified. Hardly a super luxury car then despite the name badge.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Indeed. I also own enough acres of Strayah to (at some future time) stick my snout in the public trough … err … call myself a farmer. The ute I bought as a future tool-of-trade, whilst new, cost about $15K. Admittedly, it’s only 2WD (if it gets bogged, I have a tractor) and it doesn’t have aircon, but still.
I hope Fielding triggers a double dissolution then loses his seat.
September 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I have seen some mere commenters discussing the merits of Fielding’s hoosafudge, Daves. One was certain that a farmer needs a fully tricked out Rover Disco to get the crops out of the ground.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Good call, Seano! La bullshit, indeed.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Great minds… I did a few sums at ‘Fielding plays populist with luxury car tax’ http://laborview.blogspot.com/2008/09/fileding-plays-polulist-with-luxury-car.html
Populist twaddle from Fielding.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Lada Fielding, got a certain bling to it, like for Christs sake, start you bastard.
September 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
And what about farm laborers!?Are we to compete with the bloody dog barking in the back of the ute,for the potato bag!?Seriously!Why dont yo notice all the local dogs want to walk run scamper and hunt through your paddocks!?You’ll not mind butchers selling bones for the canines,but, you wont sharpen your business acumen by bonding off the various legs of lamb and hind quarters [alive] in your paddocks with the newly arrived neighbours dog!?That is, start up… local farmer dog owner groups to stop the attacks on domestic farm animals,by employing sound scientific animal research.Who knows those self same dog owners may need a shed occasionally and may want to just exercise occasionally when nothin’ else is happening.And some tired city based low income people,just need to get out too,but cannot hitchhike the last distance from private or public transport with dog on board! Hear my plea!They are not as yet Leunig characters,but getting close to needing a directional duck!
September 5th, 2008 at 9:16 am
No, no, no, you don’t understand - You speak of $33k Hiluxes and Longreach BMW’s (Statesman), but those won’t get the job done… What real farmers need is one of these:
$100k ‘cruiser, anyone?
I may not have read as many tax judgements as I should’ve, but surely if said $100k tool of the trade is genuinely that, luxury car tax can be claimed back regardless? Either I’m incorrect, or this debate is the greatest load of manure going at present.
Or both.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I believe that, rather, the cost of the item would be deducted from your assessable income NH. I have the same doubts about that Cruiser counting as plant & equipment, though, as I did about the Rover.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:05 am
C’mon Sean - I’ll bet you wear a nice suit to work - Why can’t they drive out to check the pump in style?
September 5th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Totally agree with your point.
The threshold is so high it wouldn’t hit any legitimate farmer or tour operator.
Farmers use bog standard diesels and tour operators go for the troop carrier style of vehicle.
Both farmers and tour operators have access to full tax concessions for their tools of trade.
The other thing the MTM are too lazy to pick up on is the claim that raising the medicare levy will somehow cause the public hospital system to be flooded with people opting out of private cover.
As most of those who will drop private cover because of threshold going up are young healthy people who have had minimal private health cover so they could get the tax break, it is hard to see them becoming sick all of a sudden.
And most people I know rarely tell a hospital they have private cover unless the queue is too long and they are too desperate. The gap payments are so huge sometimes they make you wonder why you have private cover. But if you are like me and over 55 there is no way you will drop your private cover.
The MTM just write what the opposition says about this medicare levy without ever testing its logic.
As for Steve Field he cared so much about this matter he didn’t even bother to try to amend it. He is a lazy bastard who just loves the media spotlight. Running round Fed square in his undies is about all he’s good for.
Roll on the double dissolution I say.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I note that Fielding also says people with big families should be able to buy a Tarago. Plenty of Tarago models for less than $57,000 Steve - even with the V6 engine and auto. And a Kia Carnival with everything is less than $40,000. Rudd has working families, obviously Fielding has rich catholics.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I’ve never forgotten back in the 1970’s seeing a farmer in Bathurst NSW moving a few sheep from one paddock to another in the back of reasonably new Rolls Royce.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Tim Shadbolt, mayor of the New Zealand city of Invercargill was elected in 1983 as mayor of the city of Waitemata. He thereupon had a towbar fitted to the official mayoral motorcar so that he could use it to tow his concrete mixer from job to job.
The car was a Daimler. I suppose the closest equivalent these days would be a Bentley. Clearly if a luxury car tax had been in force at the time, it would have impeded an honest tradesman who simply wanted to go about his work. (Bentleys start at around $US170,000 plus tax.)