Another spiv scam but, fortunately shut down before before the racketeers could steal loot
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Posted by D
I was under the impression, this case had been thrown out last year but, better later than never:
Council telco charges ‘illegal’
28apr04
LOCAL councils have lost a High Court appeal against an earlier court decision stopping them from charging Telstra and Optus fees for laying cables on public land.
The High Court, by a six-one majority, held NSW and Victorian laws allowing councils to collect rates and charges from the telecommunications companies breached discrimination laws.
In the judgment, handed down today, the court found charges of up to $1000 per kilometre for installation of cables for pay television and high-speed internet access were invalid.
It would be better if the High Court had found more robust common law principles on which to throw out the case than the hogwash of `discrimination laws’. If councils were free to extort $1,000 /km of cables , not only the telcos but every consumer would have felt the blow.
It is pointed to recollect, the primary objective was to tax power and telegraph poles. That was rejected in court but if the councils had succeded, on the above items, that certainly opens up the opportunity to tax the other.
One weasle of a council official claimed it is councils and `communities’ which make it possible for companies to put up capital. Let us run it the correct line: no businesses and so no employees, no rate-payers, no bloody stasiland councils and their armies of careerah mendicant professionals.
On the subject of taxes:
Public ‘wants tax cuts, spending’
28apr04
AUSTRALIANS wanted to see both tax cuts and more spending on essential services from any federal Budget surplus, Health Minister Tony Abbott said today.
An ACNielsen poll showed Australians were cool on large tax cuts tipped for next month’s Budget, but preferred more spending on public services.
But Mr Abbott said giving back surplus government revenue to the people was a government priority.
“What people want is a bit of both,” he told Channel Nine.
“They want more investment in health and education and the government has certainly delivered that in spades over the last few months.
The crux is govt. consumption, which must bu savaged to the bone in order to achieve real tax cuts .Cannot have the latter when govts. are engaged in spending sprees at all levels. But it is not just the impact on incomes, but as Brookes news reiterates frequently, govt. consumption savages savings which is the definition of capital.
And `health and education’ are not investments,, they are consumtion items which govt. dicates on what consumers will or will not have at high costs. The fact that each dollar taxed is in real terms a minimum a tax of three dollars, that and that govt. commanded consumption entails spiralling costs, as quite evident in Health and Education. That some may need some charity, services provided pro bono is not served at all well by universal govt. command consumption. Those in need of muscle are indeed worse off because they cannot be differentiated by the vast majoirty who can help themseles.
To the country, has govt. consuumption and so cost escalates, increasing numbers of independent citizens are themselves dragged down to their barely making do levels of income, which decides them also to go on the forced charity of central big nanny socialisto govt. Something entirely lost on union officials, entirely insulated from market fixing and govt extortion, and will never explain to their followers, the nanny state does mean your savings and incomes must decrease to pay for the grand spending sprees.
The unionists should be reominded, next time they sneer companies are only intereststed in profit, for their is more to what profit than what that vulgar commie put down would suggests, includsing: wages is sharing in a company’s profits and more bluntly, no profit, no job, so no pay, so no income and saving, no house, no car, no clothes on your back - mind you, that is music to the ears of the polpotian communists known as the greens.
Keeping in mind, it is only profit earning,wealth generating enterprises and their employees who actually foot the tax bill. Something will give and given the Spring St. Spivs. spending spree and closing down land to appease the polpotian greenies, that will happen soon enough .
(Continued)