The Audacious Pursuit

THE AUDAICIOUS PURSUIT continues: The Sunday Times, 30.10.16 reports: ‘Cracks widen as tax push falters’ (see full report below). “Dr Nahan and business leaders dismissed WA Nationals leader Brendon Grylls’ plan to impose a new tax on big iron ore miners to fund an increase in payroll exemptions for businesses from $850,000 a year to $5 million.” But, “A defiant Mr Grylls told the Nationals state conference in Geraldton yesterday he would not stop fighting for his controversial mining tax proposal.”
Paul Murray in expressing his opinion on the issue said in The Weekend West, October 20 2016, said: “Brendon Grylls might need a haul truck to follow him around because he’s digging a very big hole for himself and his party over the “great big new tax” on WA’s iron ore miners. Someone should save him from himself. Or start filling in the hole.”
However, The West Australian, October 20 2016, under the heading: ‘Poll shows WA voters sick of ‘GST rip-off’’ reports: “West Australians have sent a clear message to Canberra — they believe they are being ripped off by the carve-up of the $61 billion national goods and services tax pool. . . The West Australian also asked voters which party they trusted to negotiate a better deal for WA on the GST carve-up. Forty-six per cent said Labor, 43 per cent said the Liberals and 11 per cent said the Nationals. . . WA Nationals leader Brendon Grylls has tried to tap into voter disgust with the GST issue by putting it at the centre of his controversial economic pitch.”
As there is a perception that the Barnett government (excluding the Nationals) is a government of the big end of town with little empathy for the needs and aspirations of small business, setting aside all other pros and cons of the debate, we would totally support an “increase in payroll exemptions for businesses from $850,000 a year to $5 million” that “a new tax on big iron ore miners” would deliver to small business. So the audacious pursuit continues and Don Quixote hasn’t quite fallen off his horse yet.