AUSTRALIANS always rise to the occasion at moments of crisis. During the Queensland floods, heroic bystanders risked their lives to save people swept away in swollen creeks and rivers. Neighbour helped neighbour to move precious belongings to higher ground. Thousands of people rolled out on Brisbane streets to sweep away mud and rubbish. And people opened their hearts and wallets for those who were affected.As is usual, the federal government was unable to rise to the inspiring level of its citizens. It used the occasion to announce a new tax and dump a whole lot of promises it should never have made, such as "cash for clunkers" - a bizarre scheme to buy old cars and destroy them in the name of reducing greenhouse emissions.
The tax will raise a little under $2 billion. The government boasts that only the "rich" will pay since it cuts in at $50,000, with a higher rate for those earning more than $100,000.
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The Queensland Premier's public appeal (open to rich and poor) raised about $200 million. The federal government has now demonstrated how it didn't need that money. It can raise billions with the stroke of a legislative pen. It is proposing a $2 billion tax increase. It could easily have made it $2.2 billion and covered all the voluntary donations. Read more.