Time to revive that beaten to death conservative concept of user pays, but naturally, it must be reversed.
The Conservative rump believes that in the ultimate right wing world, we consumers need to pay for everything … hospitals, medicare, schools, well everything that we pay our taxes for currently. But we need to not only pay our taxes plus also shell out for any or all of these services! Then of course the conservatives could give very, very handsome tax cuts to the big end of town.
The current Coalition Government has been moderately unsuccessful with its user pays scheme for higher education, flopped with medicare and achieved a great deal of community dissatisfaction when not furthering the goals of Gonski. It has achieved considerable criticism in relation to Centrelink payments. And ironically hasn’t managed to hand out tax cuts to very large corporations.
But frankly let’s turn the user pays concept on its head and ease the top end of town into this system. After all they have the resources and receive the handouts, tax off sets, cuts and special tax privileges and are always sniffing around conservative circles seeking a bit more largesse.
Prior to Tony Abbott winning the election in 2013, he promised no cuts to Education, Health, ABC and SBS and pensions. Well he broke all those promises but he did keep one, namely axing the Mining Tax. Naturally, the first new user pays scheme must surely be a resurrected mining tax.
Frankly, if mining companies, tearing into the ground, leaving thousands and thousands of square kilometers of ravaged countryside and also selling off our non renewable resources, surely there should be some reckoning. A nice little user pays system where perhaps a levy, well let’s call it a mining tax, is in place for all mining. Sounds very reasonable don’t you think?
Maybe Aussie coal mining companies might have to provide another compensation as well, a user pays tax, to those Pacific Island countries who are potentially losing their home to the rising oceans caused by global warming. Sounds pretty reasonable too.
Those farming conglomerates who insist on growing cotton and using irrigation water, perhaps they should be paying compensation to the environment of South Australia for the lack of water coming down the Murray Darling.
And those farmers engaged in the live trade of cattle and sheep, perhaps a user pays system here also? In the past few years three government reports have been carried out into this grizzly business, costing who knows what! Perhaps some of these appalling profits should be levied off in a user pays system for past and future outstanding government expenses.
The farmers who introduced deer into the Alpine areas of NSW and Victoria, perhaps they should be footing the bill for the State Governments now trying to stem the massive, destructive tide of deer. Sounds very fair.
Might be a good idea to have a look at the electricity generator businesses. Frankly this mess started the Liberal desire for privatizing off State Government assets to their rich mates. Then the Abbott conservative government encouraged privatization of remaining State Government power generators. So what was once one business strangely becomes two: a power generator and then a business sending bills. We probably need some explanation for this oddity.
But anyway bills became quite inexplicable and consumers became angry. The Turnbull government became a little scared and the Abbott back bench threw some explosives, got rid of Turnbull and the NEG. And frankly everyone is mystified and the only end result is that the Morrison Government has pledged to have energy bills lowered by some astounding $800. In this issue, is the user to pay a messy Federal Government, State Governments or the maze of big companies who snapped up the business at the time of privatization. Perhaps all of them need to engage in a little user paying back to us poor old consumers.
Big business we have come to know more and more closely following every scandal from Banks to power generating companies, car manufacturers, even the old folks homes, what we see is rampant nasty capitalism, making a buck. And it is only when the shit hits the fan and promises are made to the tune of never never ever again. Yeah??
Only one way to ensure none of this happens again, is a user pays system, where for misbehavior company and shareholder will pay. Business profits will pay for their appalling greed.
Yes user pays for big business! Thanks conservatives for this terrific idea!
And for very bad companies perhaps some charges should be laid against employees, say corruption fraud etc. For all us lesser folk down the ladder, we accept the law. Seems those folk up the corporate gang plank, just ignore it!
Josephine Zananiri lives in the Independent electorate of Indi and currently works in the manual labour arena tending native and exotic trees, so has plenty of time to think. Followed everywhere by her two dogs Percy and Fino who generally agree on all subjects, only occasionally deserting the conversation in the chase for samba deer! Slight differences in logic can therefore be attributed to the two woofers leaving their critical post!
