Treasurer Peter Costello was on the Sally
Loane show on Sydney ABC radio this morning spruiking his tax cuts and
once again telling us that Australians earning up to $40,000 a year
with two kids effectively paid no tax.

Cossie and his mates have
claimed this Budget and their principles are designed to reduce welfare
dependency. But how does forcing people on to the Centrelink teat of
family payments reduce welfare dependency? Wouldn’t it be easier to cut
taxes to a point where they pay no taxes at all? It would be bold,
ambitious (down Sir Humphrey), but the idea is there.

Cossie
also poured scorn on the idea of flat tax by pointing out that the idea
often came from people on high incomes, who never mentioned that many
people would pay more tax under the idea – but they wouldn’t.

Cossie
told Sally that people on “$40,000-$70,000″ a year don’t pay 30c in the
dollar tax now. They pay less. He asked whether anyone seriously
expected him to ask them to pay more.

Cossie said some commentators (outside this studio) would have a go at him if he proposed that.

Sal
asked whether he listened to Commentators (Big C ones), a genteel way
of describing The Parrot, Lawsie and their imitators. He said he
“always respected commentators, especially the good ones.”
Unfortunately he didn’t provide names or criteria.

Cossie, working class man, and the Boss

By Christian Kerr

Peter Costello welcomed himself into the ranks of the working class on the weekend – read more here – while out selling his Budget in Brisbane.

“Anybody
who derives their income from labour is part of the working class,” he
said. “This idea that you only work if you are engaged in manual labour
– most Australians aren’t engaged in manual labour, but they work, they
are workers and they deserve tax cuts.”

His tour has moved to Sydney, where the treasurer turned up on Sally Loane – greeted by Barnsey’s Working Class Man.

Loane
declared it was an appropriate intro – and would help prepare the
treasurer for his afternoon function at the Blacktown Workers’ Club.
Cozzie laughed, then declared that he liked The Boss – referring, of
course, to Bruce Springsteen.

Loane defended the choice, saying Working Class Man is a classic. Costello responded “Oh well, I still like The Boss.”

We’re glad he likes one boss, because we know he doesn’t like another one.