Your facilities levy in action!

[RJ5023 230]

From the back page of the latest Govt. "On Deck" magazine.(Allocated to) "Berri Barmera Council: $20,000 for modifications to the ramp adjacent to the Yacht Club on Lake Bonney at Barmera"Dad (lives up that way) reckons the water has moved back 100m from the old shore line since they blocked off Lake Bonney from the river. Must be one hell of a modification!Can anyone get a photo of it?Seems that in the face of stiff competition from around the country, our esteemed SA Government retains the "Biggest Knuckleheads" title for yet another year. :icon_lol:Though I got to admit that the rest of the facilities levy work that they're doing sounds good.See ya,

[Ranger 48]

Maybe they just need to introduce recreational fishing licenses so that we can now also pay to extend the thing another 100m! ;)I like the idea! We pay:Rego on the boatRego in the trailerRego on the tow vehicleInsuranceThe levyFuel taxRamp feesGST on everything we purchaseLet's add a license fee to the list too, and then see what else they can come up with to get more out of us!

[venkovich 0]

Berri Barmera Council: $20,000 for modifications to the ramp adjacent to the Yacht Club on Lake Bonney at Barmera

I read that last night and wondered about it the same as you. It did occur to me that they might have taken the opportunity to do some work on the ramp while it was it was high and dry and easier to work on.

Maybe they just need to introduce recreational fishing licenses

I wouldn't necessarily object to paying for a recreational fishing license IF the money was spent on restocking some fisheries. For example, I happily pay for fishing licenses in Victoria and NSW because I know that some of the money is used to stock the Murray with Cod (and Callop?). I'd be happy to pay if they stocked Mt Bold and Myponga reservoirs with Trout or Cod and allowed us to fish there.

[Ranger 48]

I wouldn't necessarily object to paying for a recreational fishing license IF the money was spent on restocking some fisheries. .............I'd be happy to pay if they stocked Mt Bold and Myponga reservoirs with Trout or Cod and allowed us to fish there.

And here we have a problem!Rec licensing is a "user pays" system. Now I'm a rec fisher too, but I don't fish freshwater, so why should I be paying for restocking of cod and trout (and trout aren't even a native fish anyways).I want MY dollars to be spent dredging out Barker Inlet and North Arm, lighting the channel markers, saving our Whiting from netters! I wanna see a Whiting restocking project so's our quotas don't keep dropping and size limits increasing, and I don't want netters taking the whiting once I pay to restock them! Why do I have to pay for YOU to fish? Why do you have to pay for ME to fish? Who decides where the money is spent and what is fair?Nope, as far as I'm concerned we both already pay more than enough as it is in taxes and levies! The govenment made me a promise when they introduced their GST! They told me this would be the one and only time I pay on all goods and services, and that would abolish all other charges and taxes! I took them on their word, but now here I am already paying income tax when I earn the money, fuel tax (excise) AND a GST on top of that fuel tax where I'm being taxed on a tax, I'm paying a levy, I'm paying 3 lots of registration and insurance with GST, I'm paying everytime I purchase tackle or bait, I'm paying when I have my boat serviced or repaired, I'm paying a "save the murray" levy, I'm paying for a boat license, I'm paying for a drivers licence, I'm paying ramp fees, and now I'm expected to pay AGAIN? What's next? Then maybe a "save the dolphins" levy coz dolphins aren't a recreational catch but we're taking food outta their mouth? A water pollution levy, coz we drop crap into the water? A save the whales levy coz they use the water too? Etc, etc, etc! Add to this, the government told me I have to contribute to a superannuation fund, so I get taxed when I earn my money, I get taxed when it goes into my fund, and then I get taxed again when I finally take it all out, and if the superannuation fund makes a bad investment with MY money, I stand to lose out on that too!Nope, the government made me a promise, now let them stand by it, or abolish the GST and THEN introduce a rec license! We are one of the highest taxed countries in the world as it is, and enough is enough!

[venkovich 0]

We are one of the highest taxed countries in the world as it is

Citations or references for that claim? Having lived in Europe I have my doubts about that.

[Ranger 48]

Nope, I'm taking the word of a media financial spokesman who listed the top ten taxed countries, and I'm taking his word coz I have no way of collating that data for myself. From memory Australia was listed as 8th in the world, IF that can be believed. I'd like you to show me otherwise though if you have that information at hand.I've also seen the other end of the scale (Hong Kong) where annual income tax never exceeds 8%, all local telephone calls are free, utilities (water, gas, electricity) are ridiculously cheap by comparison here, they have a fantastic public transport system, more than addequate health care, protection from droughts and water shortage, efficient services and tradespeople, and they even make politicians smaller and cheaper than ours!Ya know, last time I was there, fuel was less than half the cost we're paying here, and I had to ask myself why, coz it's all the same fuel!The difference I've seen between there and here, is that here the government takes all your money and decides how it gets used, but over there YOU get to keep it, and then YOU decide how to use it! the more you work, the more goes in your pocket, unlike here where it's just more we give to the tax man. And the money you save on paying taxes you can addequately plan for your retirement and your future.They lowered taxes to increase opportunities for businesses and the economy boomed as everyone opened small businesses, where as here taxes get increased and things slow, manufacturing ceases, farmers go bust, the economy grinds down and we have to inport everything from overseas.I know I'd much rather make my own decisions on where my money is spent than having it decided for me by some fat cat politician who doesn't have to worry about fuel costs, rising interest rates, paying his mortgage, educating his children, etc, etc, coz he's got the huge pay packet, the white fleet, the free airtravel for life, the tax concessions, etc, etc.I'm anti rec license, I've argued this one out many times, and no-one is gonna change my mind on it now, but I've gotten this thread way off track from Lake Bonney, so maybe I'd better shut up about it.

[venkovich 0]

I'd like you to show me otherwise though if you have that information at hand

I don't, it's just that I often hear or read that statement about Australia being one of the highest taxed nations, but never actually see any empirical evidence to support the claim so I have my doubts about it's legitimacy.

Ya know, last time I was there, fuel was less than half the cost we're paying here, and I had to ask myself why, coz it's all the same fuel

Simple answer to that, China subsidises the cost of petrol and other petroleum products. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing

[Ranger 48]

I'd like you to show me otherwise though if you have that information at hand

I don't, it's just that I often hear or read that statement about Australia being one of the highest taxed nations, but never actually see any empirical evidence to support the claim.

I saw it on an ABC documentary, and as they listed countries in order, and none of the experts seemed to dispute the fact I took it as gospel .

Ya know, last time I was there, fuel was less than half the cost we're paying here, and I had to ask myself why, coz it's all the same fuel

Simple answer to that, China subsidise the cost of petrol and other petroleum products. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_usage_and_pricing

Isn't that funny! China, with a much larger population, huge growth/expansion/building projects, and a far greater consumption to us here, and their government can subsidise the fuel! Here, we complain about the exorbitant cost, small businesses go broke, trucking companies struggle, transport costs rise which in turn increases cost of all goods and consumables, and belts get tightened even further as the economy spirals downwards, yet half the cost of our fuel is paid TO the government of our lucky nation!

[venkovich 0]

I saw it on an ABC documentary

I'm happy to discuss taxes and government subsidises further, but this topic should probably be moved to the off topic forum first.

Isn't that funny! China, with a much larger population, huge growth/expansion/building projects, and a far greater consumption to us here, and their government can subsidise the fuel!

Some interesting reading on the subject here: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/20/asia/20china.php and here: http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&safe=off&resnum=0&q=Chinese%20gasoline%20subsidies&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn

[RJ5023 230]

Berri Barmera Council: $20,000 for modifications to the ramp adjacent to the Yacht Club on Lake Bonney at Barmera

I read that last night and wondered about it the same as you. It did occur to me that they might have taken the opportunity to do some work on the ramp while it was it was high and dry and easier to work on.

That might be, but I keep hearing (in the media) that there's not likely to be any significant flow in the river for a very long time - years and years. IF that's true there doesn't seem much chance that they'll re-open Lake Bonney to the river any time soon.Maybe that $20,000 would be enough to put up some speed signs on the Port River, or some flashing beacons along the length of the O/H southern breakwater. Either one of those would be a big help to boaties right now. There's already plenty of boat ramps leading nowhere in former lakes around the country - until the rains come back.Without inside knowledge it seems a very poor priority for spending our hard earned.See ya,

[Ranger 48]

I'm happy to discuss taxes and government subsidises further, but this topic should probably be moved to the off topic forum first.

Agreed this isn't the place for it, but I find it quite interesting that even after raising their prices by 18%, they're still paying less that 0.95 per litre and diesel is even cheaper.

[bluey68 2]

lets not talk about save the murray levy. what a scam.where is the money going they have collected over the years.talk ,talk and more bulls***.