COAG April 2016

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> States could collect income tax under radical plan to be discussed at COAG

States and territories would collect their own income tax for the first time since World War II under a radical proposal to be considered at a meeting of state and federal leaders this week.

Declaring himself a "pragmatist" on the issue of fixing the vertical fiscal imbalance between the Commonwealth and the states, Scott Morrison left the door open to becoming the first Australian treasurer in 75 years to allow states to control a portion of income tax.

If agreed, the proposal would adopt an idea put forward in the 2014 National Commission of Audit that was dismissed by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

"It is a very good business practice that those who fund something are also the same people who control the cost of how it's being delivered," Mr Morrison told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the answer to increasing health costs and population growth could not always be for the Commonwealth to tell the states: "Here's some more cash."

State governments primarily provide expensive public infrastructure programs such as health, education and transport, while the federal government raises the bulk of the taxation revenue - referred to as the vertical fiscal imbalance. That has led to states being dependent on revenue streams from the Commonwealth and regularly demanding a greater share of the proceeds from income tax or the goods and services tax.

Under the proposal floated by the Commission of Audit, the federal government would cut the marginal income tax rate to 22.5 per cent from 32.5 per cent, allowing states and territories to levy the remaining 10 per cent (or more, or less, potentially). Mr Abbott declined to pursue the concept, saying he wanted "lower, simpler, fairer taxes" rather than what he called "double taxation".

Mr Morrison would not commit to the plan on Wednesday but indicated he was open to the discussions that would reportedly take place at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra, which commences on Thursday night. ...

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/states-could-collect-income-tax-under-radical-plan-to-be-discussed-at-coag-20160329-gntoar.html

[#Metro]

Income tax has higher social costs than land tax. It can reduce working, and thus production. Accountants also get 'creative'.

Land tax is almost the ideal tax because social costs are low. Land is fixed both in supply and location. It also captures local public

improvements well (i.e. land value increases due to new PT infrastructure).


Almost all states/territories have land tax with gigantic exceptions for residential property (untaxed). When you don't tax something,

the ultimate value of the thing is higher - so higher property prices, often to unaffordable levels.


It is really dividing the country along the lines of those with house and those without house...

[ozbob]

It already seems the grand tax plan is doomed.

[#Metro]

This is just a ridiculous 'look-at-moi' flashbang designed to distract and delay while they do the real planning behind the scenes IMHO.
Media LOVE garbage like this and lapp it up like thirsty cats at milk. Fully expect it will be withdrawn by Friday to be replaced with some other outrage.

States already have taxing powers - land tax, payroll tax, stamp duties, excises, etc. Feds could just reduce the tax rate and let the States figure out their tax mix.

[verbatim9]

Re Income tax collection remodelled : States like Tasmania, and South Australia would be disadvantaged due to smaller population. NSW and Vic would fair well

[#Metro]

People will start faking their addresses to take advantage of lower tax rates in other states.

[verbatim9]

People will start faking their addresses to take advantage of lower tax rates in other states.

Tweed Heads might get a huge vitual population increase. Will that mean more busses for the Tweed?  

[#Metro]

It will be like that property in the cayman islands, where 1 modest building is apparently the headquarters of a bazillion companies. 

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Income tax debate - no thanks, we're Queenslanders

[ozbob]

Twitter

smh.com.au ‏@smh now

State and territory leaders have responded coolly to Turnbull's invitation to gain their own income taxing powers http://ow.ly/106olQ

[#Metro]

Ugh. This is going to be another drip-drip-drip wild turkey chase with bits and pieces of info revealed here and there. 

Now it is a fixed proportion of income tax to each state. But somehow Tas, which is likely too small to raise enough in income tax to self-

support is not going to be left out. How does that work? Probably more info to drip out tomorrow!

[ozbob]

Twitter

Shane Doherty ‏@ShaneDoherty9 21h

@AnnastaciaMP with '@TurnbullMalcolm tax plan' - a blank page #9News #qldpol



=================

[#Metro]

That's Malcolm's Tax Plan? I thought it was the State Infrastructure Plan! Or Bus Reform Action Plan!
I must have them confused!!

[#Metro]

Turnbull proposal to stoke competitive federalism is politics not economic reform
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/the-main-problem-it-is-the-wrong-tax-reform-20160330-gnupt2.html

LVT pops up again!

Land tax no-brainer

Absolutely every state and federal politician capable of thinking further than their next three-word slogan, plus absolutely every review of our tax system and every half-bright economist, all know that a broad, no-exceptions land tax is what would actually lift the economy, fill the states' revenue hole and provide greater equity for the nation.

The absolute no-brainer is to replace stamp duty with land tax on all properties, as the ACT government is in the process of doing. That's simply replacing a particularly bad and damaging tax with a particularly efficient tax that doesn't promote negative behaviour.

[red dragin]

That's Malcolm's Tax Plan? I thought it was the State Infrastructure Plan! Or Bus Reform Action Plan!
I must have them confused!!

It's all of the above. Just the state is so broke there is no ink in the printer and only the one piece of paper.

[verbatim9]

No its Qlds response to the Harper Review. Still no decision on Ride Sharing,  Deregulating Retail further and eliminating the barrier for all Supermarkets to be licensed to sell packaged liquor. Not surprised really!

[ozbob]

Twitter

Malcolm Turnbull ‏@TurnbullMalcolm 7h

Ahead of tomorrow's COAG meeting I invited Premiers & Chief Ministers to The Lodge - here's our class photo.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Turnbull makes Abbott look progressive': Qld govt

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

1st April 2016

Infrastructure priorities for COAG

Good Morning,

The COAG ' beg fest ' is underway.

In case you missed it, the Bus and Train tunnel (the BaT) is dead. We challenged the basis of the BaT in 2014, suggesting it was a very flawed project.
Bus network reform for Brisbane will save billions of dollars.  Tunnels and concrete is not always needed - how is that for a novel point of view?

See Media release --> 14 Sep 2014: SEQ: Will the BaT fly?

If there are any lingering doubts about the BaT, reflect on this Couriermail piece.

Couriermail --> Senior LNP figures say BaT Tunnel was former premier Campbell Newman's impossible dream




The Quirk ' Metro ' is also aberrant nonsense. What needs to happen is the bus network for Brisbane needs to be reformed.  We have outlined an approach to achieving this:

Brisbane - bus network proposal

It is a bus network solution, not the solution.  A proper reform process with community engagement will result in the optimum network for all.

Cross River Rail is the project that stacks up and delivers the goods for SEQ. This needs to be funded.

The other project that needs urgent attention is the duplication of the Sunshine Coast railway line.  The next section from Beerburrum to Landsborough North also needs to proceed now. This has significant implications for improved freight and passenger transport and should be supported in part by Federal funding.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Communiqué 1st April 2016

At its 42nd meeting, in Canberra, COAG increased hospital funding and made an historic commitment to explore fundamental changes to our federation that will drive economic reform and secure better outcomes for all Australians. We have sharpened our focus on improving Indigenous economic participation and received our final report on reducing violence against women and their children – an issue of ongoing concern for all of us. Treasurers joined First Ministers for the discussion on economic and federation reform.

Hospital funding and health reform

COAG reaffirmed that providing universal health care for all Australians is a shared priority.

Leaders agreed a Heads of Agreement for public hospitals funding from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2020 ahead of consideration of longer-term arrangements. This will see the Commonwealth providing an estimated additional $2.9 billion in funding for public hospital services, with growth in Commonwealth funding capped at 6.5 per cent a year.

This Agreement preserves important parts of the existing system, including activity based funding and the national efficient price, and focuses on improving patient safety and the quality of services, and reducing unnecessary hospitalisations.

As part of this Agreement, all jurisdictions agreed to take action to improve the quality of care in hospitals and reduce the number of avoidable admissions, by:

    reducing demand for hospital services through better coordinated care for people with complex and chronic disease – the current system does not always provide the care the chronically ill need – this means they are hospitalised more than is necessary;
    improving hospital pricing mechanisms to reflect the safety and quality of hospital services by reducing funding for unnecessary or unsafe care – reducing hospital-acquired complications will improve patient safety; and
    reducing the number of avoidable hospital readmissions – too many patients are readmitted to hospitals as a result of complications arising from the management of their original condition.

The Commonwealth will continue its focus on reforms in primary care that are designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

Schools

COAG recognised the positive contribution high quality schooling makes to both individuals and the economy. It noted that the Commonwealth's contribution to school education is funded through to the end of 2017, and agreed that discussions on new funding arrangements should be concluded by early 2017.

A more efficient federation for all Australians

COAG welcomed the Commonwealth's initiative to help resolve the longstanding problem of vertical fiscal imbalance and improve state autonomy.

There was not a consensus among states and territories (states) to support further consideration of the proposal to levy income tax on their own behalf.

Leaders agreed to consider proposals to share personal income tax revenue with the states to:

    provide them access to a broad revenue base that grows in line with the economy;
    reduce the number of tied Commonwealth grants to the states, providing them with greater autonomy and reducing administrative burden; and
    create flexibility for states to meet their ongoing expenditure needs.

COAG further agreed to continue pursuing initiatives that will enhance transparency by providing Australian citizens with a greater level of real time data on how government money is spent and on the outcomes and performance of government initiatives.

COAG agreed that this work, along with the work on broader opportunities for tax reform, including state tax reform, will be progressed by the Council on Federal Financial Relations, with a progress report to COAG at its next meeting.

Competition reform

COAG agreed that competition and productivity reforms are important to drive Australia's economic performance and living standards. Treasurers will develop a new competition and productivity enhancing reform agreement, for consideration at the next COAG meeting.

The draft agreement will incorporate:

    an updated set of Commonwealth-state competition principles drawing from, and expanding on, those recommended by the Harper Competition Policy Review report;
    shared national and state‑specific competition and productivity reforms;
    independent evaluation and assessment mechanisms; and
    innovation payments, based on performance, including consideration of recent reforms.

COAG will look to build on these important economic reforms by collaborating to improve our cities, better target our infrastructure investment and lift productivity across the country, to deliver for all Australians, no matter where they live.

Indigenous economic development

COAG welcomed progress toward an Indigenous Economic Development Framework. Leaders agreed it is important to engage with Indigenous leaders and communities to support its further development.

COAG discussed and supported Indigenous procurement policies as they can provide better opportunities for Indigenous Australians to engage in the economy, increase employment prospects, and be less reliant on welfare.

Leaders will work in partnership to develop strategies to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Leaders noted that if a further 640 Indigenous children, nation-wide, met the Year 3 reading national minimum standard, we could halve the gap.

Leaders also agreed to work in partnership with Indigenous leaders and communities, consistent with the principles of empowering communities. This is important to securing better informed decisions and transparency around government efforts to improve community outcomes.

There are still disproportionally high incarceration and re-offending rates for Indigenous Australians. COAG further agreed to develop ways to address barriers to employment on release and to support Indigenous people as they transition from incarceration to employment. The Commonwealth will undertake initiatives with states, drawing on existing programs.

Reducing violence against women and their children

COAG discussed the importance of ensuring female representation in leadership positions.

COAG agreed that, while not all disrespect of women leads to violence against women, all violence against women begins with disrespect of women.

As such, COAG welcomed the final report from the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children (the Panel), thanking the Panel, guided by Mr Ken Lay APM, Ms Rosie Batty and Ms Heather Nancarrow, for its commitment in this area. All COAG members remain committed to making sure that women and their children live free from violence in safe communities.

The final report notes that, despite current efforts, rates of violence against women remain unacceptably high and negative gender-based attitudes continue largely unchallenged. In its final report, the Panel advises COAG of the need for collective, long-term action and leadership in order to address gender inequality and to achieve lasting change in community attitudes which underpin and enable violence.

COAG supports, in-principle, the six areas identified by the Panel for further joint action:

    national leadership to challenge gender inequality and transform community attitudes;
    empowering women who experience violence to make informed choices;
    recognising children and young people as victims of violence against women;
    holding perpetrators to account for their actions and supporting them to change;
    providing trauma-informed responses to violence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; and
    providing integrated responses to keep women and their children safe.

Jurisdictions will consider the recommendations in each of these areas in developing the Third Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 this year.

COAG noted the outcomes of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence released this week.

COAG also noted the COAG Summit on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children would be held in Brisbane at the end of October 2016.

Counter-terrorism

COAG noted the progress that had been made on the countering violent extremism initiatives agreed at the 11 December 2015 COAG meeting. First Ministers supported the development of a nationally consistent post sentence preventative detention scheme, with appropriate protections, that covers high risk terrorist offenders. They agreed that the Commonwealth would draft legislation, to be introduced as soon as practicable, following consultation with states.

COAG agreed, in-principle, to the NSW model as the basis for a strengthened nationally consistent pre-charge detention scheme for terrorism suspects, with the ACT reserving its position. NSW will introduce the legislation and consult with other jurisdictions.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

COAG discussed the timing of access to the DisabilityCare Australia Fund (DCAF), and potential changes to governance to simplify and streamline NDIS decision-making and rule-making. COAG requested Senior Officials to provide further advice.

Medicinal cannabis

COAG noted the progress in all jurisdictions to facilitate patient access to medicinal cannabis. The passage of Commonwealth legislation to establish a national licensing scheme for cultivation of medicinal cannabis will provide patients with a safe, legal and reliable supply. Jurisdictions will continue working together to implement the scheme, with a view to Australian-grown products being available for use in 2017.

COAG noted health ministers are already considering options to expedite patient access to medicinal cannabis.

COAG also noted NSW has commenced trials of medicinal cannabis and other jurisdictions are invited to participate.

Northern Territory statehood

COAG welcomed Chief Minister Giles's update on progress towards statehood and noted the Northern Territory would bring forward a proposal to the next COAG meeting.

Reportable conduct scheme

COAG welcomed Chief Minister Barr's proposal for nationally harmonised reportable conduct schemes to improve oversight of responses to allegations of child abuse and neglect. COAG agreed, in-principle, to harmonise reportable conduct schemes, similar to the current model in operation in NSW and announced in the ACT and Victoria.

Redress

COAG discussed the importance of providing redress for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. The Commonwealth will engage with all jurisdictions on next steps.

1 April 2016

[ozbob]

http://www.coag.gov.au/

[ozbob]

Clowns to the left, jokers to the right ... sort of sums it all up! 

[ozbob]

Twitter

smh.com.au ‏@smh 8m

#Breaking: Premiers reject @TurnbullMalcolm's push to allow states to levy income tax at COAG meeting. http://ow.ly/109WGo

[ozbob]

Media Statements
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Treasurer, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Minister for Sport
The Honourable Curtis Pitt

Friday, April 01, 2016

Premier and Treasurer secure more than $400 million extra for Queensland hospitals, but more needed

Queensland has secured more than $400 million from the Australian Government for Queensland hospitals, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned deep Canberra cuts would impact on healthcare and patients.

The Premier said following negotiations at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra today, Queensland hospitals should receive at least $445 million more over three years (from 2017-18 to 2019-20).

Funding to be received by the States will be negotiated in an addendum to the Heads of Agreement.

"The extra funding is welcomed. However, it barely restores a quarter of the funding over three years that Tony Abbott cut in 2014," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"Malcolm Turnbull has taken a small step forward, but he has also ensured health will be a major issue at the upcoming Federal election."

At the COAG meeting attended by the Premier and Treasurer, Ms Palaszczuk said she and Treasurer Curtis Pitt had warned the reduction in the Australian Government funding would have a direct impact on the ability to hire the additional doctors, nurses and allied health professionals needed and the services and procedures they can administer.

"Tony Abbott cut $11.8 billion from our hospitals over 10 years. Malcolm Turnbull has restored some funding, but more is needed including a long-term commitment from Canberra," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"Even with this deal, the Australian Government's share of funding for Queensland hospitals will continue to fall. The shortfall over the next three years is almost $1.2 billion."

Mr Pitt said the Palaszczuk Government knew healthcare services and hospitals were a priority for Queenslanders and it committed a record $14.2 billion budget in 2015-16.

"Queensland is a big, decentralised State. More than half of Australia's remote hospitals are in Queensland. We have a growing population and growing health costs," he said.

"The Australian Government claims the States are using them as an ATM. The fact is Canberra refuses to restore funding to the States and are seeking to transfer that burden to the States."

Education

The Premier ensured education was discussed at COAG.

"Unfortunately, the Prime Minister refused to restore any of the $6 billion cut to education (from 2017-18 to 2024-25) that Tony Abbott implemented in 2014," she said.

"The Palaszczuk Government recognises the importance of education and we have invested a record $9 billion.

"The Prime Minister has assured me he won't cut more, but Abbott's cuts for Queensland schools will remain. It undermines his own Government's focus on innovation."

Mental health and dental care National Partnership Agreements

The Premier said the Queensland Government had also not been assured about the future of the National Partnership Agreements for mental health and dental care.

These agreements expire in June. The dental care agreement provided for $30.3 million for services in Queensland in 2015-16, while the mental health agreement provided for $10.4 million over the same period.

Taxation

Mr Pitt said while COAG agreed to look at a model for the States to receive a share of personal income tax collected by the Australian Government, this was not proposed to provide any additional revenue for States.

"The proposal, as presented to COAG, would not provide extra funding for schools or hospitals," he said.

"Rather, the approach would be aimed at reducing the number of tied grants from the Australian Government to allow greater flexibility in terms of how the States spend those dollars.

"I welcome the Prime Minister ruling out requiring States to raise their own income tax, however we will continue to remind Mr Turnbull that the fiscal gap created by the Coalition Government is the issue that began the tax reform discussion and that discussion is not over yet."

[verbatim9]

Good that the tax plan for states to collect income tax didnt eventuate

[#Metro]

PROPHETIC WORDS!! 

This sorry script is SO PREDICTABLE you tell exactly how it will go and what words they will use.

Fully expect it will be withdrawn by Friday to be replaced with some other outrage.

'It is withdrawn': Premiers reject Malcolm Turnbull's push to allow states to levy income tax

He acknowledged the proposal was dead and it would not be resurrected by the Commonwealth. "There isn't anything like a consensus," he said. "That proposal is not there, it's withdrawn, it's not acceptable to COAG."

Instead, leaders agreed to consider a revenue sharing proposal...

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/coag-premiers-reject-malcolm-turnbulls-push-to-allow-states-to-levy-income-tax-20160401-gnw4pc.html

[ozbob]

Twitter

Malcolm Turnbull ‏@TurnbullMalcolm 3 minutes ago

Transcript: Council of Australian Governments Joint Press Conference, Canberra

http://malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/council-of-australian-governments-joint-press-conference-canberra ...

[verbatim9]

Better to abolish States if underfunded :----->

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/pm-malcolm-turnbull-would-be-better-reforming-the-constitution-to-abolish-the-states/news-story/e05aaa988a1f0dc4bbfed1e52ad8ba38

[#Metro]

This abolish the states nonsense from CM et al. gets trotted out all the time. What are they trying to achieve?

It is just playing with the boundaries. States existed first, well before Australia as a federation did.

We could just run the clock backwards and merge with NSW as a first step, would that help? We could call ourselves QNSW.

That would take Queensland back to 1859!

Queensland was originally part of the British-administered colony of New South Wales. This occupied a large part of the Australian continent.

A desire to separate from New South Wales began to emerge as Queensland's economic significance increased and its productivity and population expanded. The people of Queensland began to realise the importance of Brisbane as a port and urban centre.

The physical remoteness of Queensland from the centre of government in New South Wales and concern about the maintenance of public infrastructure, contributed to a desire for independence.

It is not going to create new money or efficiencies. There is this idea that we should shove all the eggs in one basket because only one basket is used. But obviously, if that 1 person or party starts doing crazy things, and history is littered with this, you will have major major problems and wipe out any 'efficiencies'.

Fix up the taxes and responsibilities.

https://www.qld.gov.au/about/about-queensland/history/creation-of-state/

[aldonius]

We're not going to see this resolve until we clearly delineate responsibilities again. We very much need to end the culture of lower level governments going to higher level governments with their pet projects.

Everything that FedGov doesn't need for FedGov responsibilities should be automatically remitted back to the States on a per-capita basis.

[#Metro]

Townsville Stadium a National Priority?
Really?