Sunday 21st of April 2024

eureka stockade...

eureka stockade
Miners head to Canberra for tax fight


The nation's biggest miners are descending on Canberra today armed with new ammunition in their fight against the mining profits tax.

The Minerals Council is holding a two-day conference in Canberra, which coincides with the release of a new study on the profits tax.

The council's spokesman, Mitch Hooke, says the report by accounting firm KPMG shows gold and copper mines will not be viable under the new tax, while the net present value of new coal mines will be more than halved.

"They will either be deferred, shelved, or just simply cut," he said.

Mr Hooke says investment will move offshore.

"The international investment community is saying, 'what are you doing, do you understand the ramifications of what you are doing - not just for your industry but for this country as a whole'," he said.

Rio Tinto says the KPMG report found it paid an effective tax rate of 35 per cent, amounting to more than $20 billion, over the past 10 years.

The figures challenge the Federal Government's claim that resource companies pay on average a tax rate of 17 per cent.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/02/2915629.htm

miners blabfeist...

The Government has repeatedly said the campaign is needed because the mining industry is spreading misinformation about the new tax.

But a Treasury official has confirmed the Government began doing market research in March and had prepared an advertising campaign by April - before the tax was announced in May.

Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson says the Prime Minister has been caught out.

"This puts paid to the public line being run by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer," he said.

"Clearly, what is happening is that the great big new tax on mining - and the advertising of it - was in place well before the mining industry got involved."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is skipping the miners' conference, but Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will give a lunchtime address.

Its all about a Class War election stupid.

When independent figures continue to prove the Rudd Government's truth on the foreign mining companies increasing profits, and Abbott and Palmer claim not true, try looking at the actual figures which Bernard Keane has released and which Murdoch and his foreign agents won't even look at.

I have previously noted that I believe Leigh Sales is too mild to mediate on Lateline.  She always seems to allow the Liberal reps (Mining or political) to use their policies of talking over her and yet she interrupts the Labor speakers constantly.

On Lateline last night, a very intelligent Paul Howes was faced with that old "Nazi finger pointing and stupidly aggressive” Michael Kroger.

LEIGH SALES: Well let me bring Michael Kroger in on that, because the trade figures released this week show a dramatic surge in mining earnings. Doesn't that give weight to Paul Howes' point that Australians deserve a reasonable share of that?

MICHAEL KROGER: Well, we hear this argument about a reasonable share, these are Australian resources, they belong to all Australians. I mean, Paul, who owns the fish in the sea?

PAUL HOWES: Michael, that is just a silly analysis and you are better than that..

His contribution – is he arguing that the mineral wealth of Australia does NOT belong to the Australian People? And his best analogy was to point his finger and imply that it was the same as "who owns the fish in the ocean".  Fair Dinkum - where do the Corporations get these people? 

Apparently he has never heard of “International” waters where the “Israeli” extreme conservatives have been killing and wounding peaceful citizens of many nations?  Kroger?  Um....

Perhaps in his twisted mind the argument by the Kooris for their territorial waters didn’t happen and the standards of “sovereign waters” (including little fishies) belong to nations who border the oceans throughout the world.

Talk about grasping at straws.

But the “Big end of town’s” objective of removing the Rudd government no matter how much it costs merely confirms the fact that the increased tax is merely a diversion for their intentions to demonstrate to the Australian people who really governs our country by paying for the Abbott seditious crap in Murdoch’s media.

Rudd has already proven that Xstrata paid huge funds to try to keep “WorkChoices” legislation with a Howard government and even in this present situation, is fudging the facts and frightening the locals.

Everything that the Rudd Labor government has done or tried to do was for All Australians and was either sabotaged by illegal opportunists or blocked in the conservative Liberal Senate. Think about it.

I  have lived through the terms of 19 Australian Prime Ministers from Scullin to Rudd and IMHO, we always vote for the oldest Australian Party (Labor) when we are in trouble.  Check it.

The unholy alliance of the Abbott Coalition with the foreign Mining and media corporations has put us to the ultimate test.  We have only one party which deserves our trust and respect and that is the Labor Party under Rudd/Gillard/Swan and Lindsay Tanner.

God bless Australia and let us respect our elected Labor Government.  NE OUBLIE.