A Government that acts as an Autocrat not as Public Servants

Australia seems to continue to show its autocratic genetic stamp well after we have been independent. For example the ATO seems to be more and more harassing as time goes by. It seems to be acting more like stingy tax collectors from a medieval and prehistoric past where taxes were levied on the land as the autocrats spending got out of control. Looking around we see complexity in taxation to the point where even the well meaning can't be sure.

In a recent case I see a business pushed to the edge of oblivion over taxes which they paid in good faith. As the legal representative said at the end of the case:

Mr Robertson declined to comment yesterday. But lawyer Grace Collier, employed as a consultant by Pop Art, asked, "What if Colin had just coughed up the $700,000 instead of fighting the issue?

"How many other businesses have paid money when they perhaps shouldn't have. Anecdotal evidence indicates that a vast amount of inspectors are ex-union officials.

"How do we know that these people are not using their powers to simply choose the most expensive award, like it appears happened with Pop Art, to get the best result for complainants?

"All this comes back to the injustice of the situation," she said.

"If the Ombudsman can form an opinion to prosecute, why can they not form an opinion to tell employers what their obligations are?"

What hope do ordinary people have?

I guess you should ask Paul Hogan