Show news and views
for your area

Profile

Site Search

« See all letters

Hackles raised by tax bill

07/Feb/2012

Name and address supplied.

Comments: 3 readers have left a comment

I WAS hunted down recently for failing to declare interest earned on my tax return.

It amounted to around $200 – all I had.

Fact is, I simply forgot about it. Fair go: my mistake. I do make mistakes more frequently nowadays; you see I’m a doddering old b@*#^$d now, being in my 86th year.

However, I can’t help but have my hackles rise when I see where my contribution goes; the perks and the self-awarded salaries (don’t talk to me about “independent tribunals” – we are not that stupid).

What is happening to our system? Perhaps (like a chef) we need a touch of Keating (style, wit and presence), a smidgeon of Hawke, a pinch of Howard, even though they also were/are masters of obfuscation.

What everyone else is thinking

Haggis

09/02/2012

Its just to difficult for the tax man and the small business people know it. In addition most of them (thousands out there) will take cash for a job and do not declare it, because of this the GST may well be raised to 20% - similar to the UK.

gazza

08/02/2012

I was under the impression you were allowed to earn something over and above your pension...without it affecting the pension...
So id the interest is earned over a period of a year, $200 equates to $4 per week.
Why does Hank Jongen NEED to know this...
We should only have to state it, IF our weekly/ fortnightly interest payment is above the weekly/fortnightly allowance.
Then it would affect the pension payment.
Had a situation once when I changed from one $2,000 vehicle to another $2,000 vehicle...and THEY insisted they NEEDED to KNOW...WHY?
I wasn't going from an Escort to a Rolls.
Because of the wrongful actions of a few, we are all treated like crims.

Kim Wilson

07/02/2012

For $200.00. The taxation Dept need to start looking at some of these small businesses and what they "write off". I know of somebody that had a retaining wall built at his home and wrote it off against one of his jobs. Some mining company copped that one. They also purchase themselves $70.000 caravans and claim they use them for work. What a load of BS. Quite a few of us can't hide our earnings because we are on a payroll and the tax is taken out before we get the remainder. I call on the tax department to start making these small businesses "HONEST".