BANKRUPTCIES

That's an average 27 a day through the nine months! And the GST hasn't even started! But then, you see, as Paul Kelly described it: "The 1990s have delivered a prosperity and peace rare in our history...."

LABOR SPLIT

It looks as though there is a growing element within the ALP that has woken up to the disaster of 'free trade' and globalism. The Australian Financial Review (18/2/2000) reported: "A brawl is looming for the Labor Party over the direction of trade policy, with key members within its Left faction pushing for a windback of the free trade agenda. One of the most powerful figures in the labour movement, Mr. Doug Cameron, has lashed out at the ALP's economic direction and called on the Opposition Leader, Mr. Kim Beazley to 'wake up to the turning tide of public opinion against free trade' ...."

Mr. Beazley has to consider the source of his Party's funds, where the donations from the big corporations would soon dry up if he started talking 'anti-.globalism'. He would also face the wrath of the Murdoch media. If the Labor Party turned its back on the globalist policies of Howard and Anderson, and began to reinstate the policies of traditional Labor leaders like John Curtin - starting with the re-establishment of a 'peoples' bank - Beazley would be crucified by the media. But it might spark a chord of sympathy in the electorate.

MALAYSIA BOOMS

CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST

FUEL PRICE-HIKES

The painful increases in the price of petrol, which threaten to reach $1 a litre by mid-year, are, we are told, due to the "world increase in the price of oil". The Australian Financial Review (22/2/2000) made this point:

"....Australia is more or less self sufficient in oil. But for the most part, the generally high-quality oil produced here is exported and we import lower-value crude. This deregulated market works in the interest of all the players and will continue to do so as long as Australia remains self sufficient.

"The player with the biggest financial stake is the Commonwealth Government. Should a company discover oil, it is allowed to sell the oil on the world market. But after allowing for production costs and a reasonable return, a substantial part of the difference between production costs and the world price flows to the Commonwealth as part of the rent resource tax (RRT).
"Thus, as the world oil price rises, the big winner is the Treasury. The cost is borne by the motorist at the pump who, via the refiners, uses OPEC oil bought at the world price.....

"Maybe the Treasurer, Peter Costello, could give some of the windfall back to the motorist by lowering fuel excise, which stands at 45 cents a litre. This would have the additional advantage of eliminating the inflationary effects of rising oil prices at a time when inflation is already here ..."

BENDIGO BANK

Which just goes to show what liars the "gang-of-four" are. They say the closure of bank branches is because of the need for efficiency. How come Bendigo, then, can not only move in when the 'gang-of-four' move out, but make an immediate profit?

The Australian Financial Review (15/2/2000) said:

"....The decision to acquire the IOOF Building Society and expansion of the community banking network to 19 branches were key drivers of the bank's liability business, with total deposits rising 8 percent to $4.1 billion in the half year ...."

THE EVIL GENERAL SERVICES TAX

THE CONNECTED SERIES OF REFORMS

Not only will future governments be awash with revenue, but every business will be manacled to the tax machine. It seems that "between Howard's 1997 GST conversion and the so-called ANTS paper (A New Tax System) in August 1998, Treasury and Tax officials took hold of the process and turned it into something much more than just a goods and services tax."

The key section of the ANTS paper is called "Reform to tax administration" and particular attention should be drawn to the following paragraph, 'The GST, the alignment of business tax payments, the establishment of the ABN and the new withholding arrangements will, together, result in more timely receipt of better information and a more comprehensive matching capability for the Tax Office to act upon. The level of integration of the GST into the tax system as a whole will be a key feature of the Government's approach."

The quarterly activity statement that gets fed into the Tax Office Computer contains everything...GST, income tax, fringe benefits tax, salary and wages, group tax... The key to it, the thing that puts every Australian business on a short leash from the Tax Office, is the Australian Business Number and an innocuous-sounding thing called a 'tax invoice'.

The tax invoice is a little recognised cornerstone of the system. It's the glue that holds the whole thing together. The GST, ABN and Tax Invoice combine to operate as both a carrot and a stick. Every business will pay 10 percent GST on virtually everything it buys. To claim that back against the 10 percent GST on the things it sells, it must produce an invoice that quotes an Australian Business Number (ABN) and is headed 'Tax Invoice". The stick is that business customers are required to withhold 48.5 percent of the sale price (the top marginal rate) if a Tax Invoice quoting an ABN is not produced by their suppliers.

PUNISHMENT TAX FOR TARDY BUSINESSES

'ENTITY' TAXATION

Option 2 is a fundamental change to the method of calculating income tax. Instead of assessable income minus allowable deductions, each of which is now defined by thousands of pages of legislation and whole libraries of case law, the new system will simply tax changes in the tax value of assets including bank balances. This would have to mean that the Tax Office could pry into your bank affairs.

As Frank Starcevick of Dardanup wrote to the editor of the West Australian newspaper (published in OT Bulletin), "We are not going to cop this attempt to dispossess us of our children's heritage."

NATIONAL DIRECTOR'S WA VISIT

It soon became apparent that people have not grasped that the GST is just part of a tax reform "package" and most are more concerned with how the system will personally affect them rather than looking at the bigger picture. That picture reveals the colossal extension of the powers of the Tax Commissioner over every business in this nation through access to every account and cash register through the database. Everything that is bought and sold will be on the Tax Commissioner's database.

The diabolical nature of what is planned for Australians was summed up by one supporter as "the most perfect surveillance system" yet imposed on the Australian people. The quarterly activity statement that gets fed into the tax office computer will contain everything - GST, income tax, fringe benefits tax, salary and wages and group tax.

Add to this, the Ralph Business Tax reforms, "Entity taxation" and that mysterious reform of the ways in which income tax will be assessed, named Option 2.

The petititon to the Governor-General was readily accepted and we can report that as news of the petitition gets out to the public many requests for it are being received by actionists.

Betty Luks also had a small number of radio and newspaper interviews while in WA.

LET'S GIVE HAIDER A FAIR GO

"As soon as a far-Right movement wins an elected position in Europe, all the media is up in arms and the Jewish groups are pulling out their victim badges.
"Haider and his Freedom Party were elected by 27 percent of the Austrian population. Not that Haider himself is a member of the government, but the party is guilty by affiliation.
"But what did he say? That the soldiers of the 55 really were good fighters and Hitler had a good employment policy So what?

"Besides all the terrible things Hitler and his henchmen did in the name of Germany, he also achieved some remarkable things. But does this give other governments the right to tell Austria who can rule them?
"The German foreign minister is calling for a boycott of Austria, but at the same time he is a member of the Green Party which has in its ranks former members of the Red Army faction.
"These were terrorists,financed by communist governments, the same governments which have people like Stalin as their political heroes. And I don't think that Stalin was democratically minded.

"Where are the outcry and the call for a boycott from the media, EU and Jewish groups if you have communists elected to governments in countries such as France and Italy?
"Where is the Jewish community protesting when the extreme Right in Israel wins seats?
"I think it boils down to double standards. Everybody who is slightly right wing is instantly called a Nazi, but the Jewish people and the Left are the only democrats.

"Let's see what Haider will achieve in the future for Austria and let's judge him on his work."

DAVID IRVING'S WEB SITES

THE SCOUT'S PLEDGE AND THE QUEEN

All credit to the AML for campaigning on the issue of the mention of the Queen in the Scout's Promise (or Pledge). It seems that proposals were afoot to remove mention of The Queen from the Pledge. The Chief Commissioner of Scouts Australia, Dr. Bruce Monro, has responded to the AML's nation-wide campaign and writes:

"All Scouting organisations throughout the world have in common a value system built on the concept of Duty to God, Duty to Self, and Duty to Others. The Scout Promise is one of the manifestations of this concept. As such, it is a very important aspect of Scouting.

"I can assure you that the Scouting Association and all its members have great respect for Her Majesty the Queen of Australia, the Australian Constitution, and our Governments and the laws by which we are governed. This respect is as strong as it ever was. The need to respect Her Majesty the Queen of Australia, the Australian Constitution, our Governments and to uphold the Laws by which we are governed is emphasised to all young people in the Movement when the Promise they take as members is explained to them. Nothing has changed in this regard and nothing will be changed in that regard."

The details of the Queen's visit to Australia will be released shortly and the AML is already arranging - and paying - for the people of Coolabah to be transported to Bourke on March 22nd to enable them to see - and cheer - the Queen. Coolabah is said to have had the highest vote of any township in support of our Constitutional Monarchy at the recent referendum.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: GST REVOLT GATHERING MOMENTUM

Closing Date for the petition: April 30th. This date allows for latecomers and compilation of the petitions for presentation.

The Australian Constitution, Section 59, states: The Queen may disallow any law within one year from the Governor-General's assent, and such disallowance on being made known by the Governor-General by speech or message to each of the Houses of the Parliament, or by Proclamation, shall annul the law from the day when the disallowance is so made known.

ANOTHER LEAGUE INITIATIVE

Order your quality, long-lasting vinyl bumper stickers for the GST battle now taking shape. Stickers (80 by 215cm). Black print on yellow background. Advance orders taken NOW. Prices include postage. Order from your State Book Services. 3 for $2.00; 10 for $6.50; 25 for $15.00; 50 for $27.50; 100 for $50.00; 1000 for $350.00. Wording! is:

NO GST JOHNNY
OR NO VOTE

VICTORIA - THE 'MATT SINCLAIR' ANTI-GST CAMPAIGN

So far, they have supplied petition forms to over 3,000 people who are collecting signatures as fast as possible. While this would appear to be a large number of signatures they emphasise it is not enough to move government. The campaign must be increased and sustained. There is a 'sifting process' going on to identify those who are committed to taking the matter and action further. Box 184, The Basin, Vic., 3154.

MELBOURNE LETTER WRITERS' CLUB

Dear Member of Parliament:
Sir, Did you read the GST Legislation before you voted for it? Did you consult your Constituents before voting for the legislation?
Yours sincerely

Please submit a copy of your letter and any reply to:
Melbourne Letter Writers' Club, Box 1052J, GPO Melbourne 3001.

Post script
All credit must go to that great letter writer, Ron Fischer, for his consistent application and content of the letters that he sends out to newspapers (and more often than not gets published) on such a regular basis.

IT'S TIME! - IT CERTAINLY IS!

Senator Len Harris' (One Nation) Petitions

SYDNEY CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS' CLUB

Meetings have so far been arranged for the following areas:
ARMIDALE: CWA Hall, Rusden Street. Annidale, Monday, March 13th, 7.45pm. Contact: David Smith, Phone: 6778 1308.
DORRIGO: Wednesday, March 15th. Fred Marsden "Rivermead" Dorrigo, Phone: 6657 5141 (includes Coffs Harbour).
WAUCHOPE: Monday, March 20th. RSL Hall. Contact Bryan Morrow, Phone: 6562 4649 (covers Kempsey, Port Macquarie)
LAKE MUNMORAH: Monday, March 27th. Contact: Roy Gustard. Phone: 4358 3634

A call is going out for League supporters to get behind this visit of Betty Luks to NSW. She would like to meet as many League people as possible. What about the smaller towns' people organising house meetings for her? Contact Roy Gustard for confirmation of dates. Phone: 4358 3634

CANBERRA CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS' CLUB

VICTORIAN TOUR PUT BACK TILL LATER IN YEAR