The most hotly-anticipated budget day in decades is finally here.
And as we mentioned yesterday, the government has been keen to ruin the surprise a little, making numerous early announcements about some of the shiny measures Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will unveil tonight.
And since yesterday, there’s been even more.
Even more tax cuts
The Coalition has announced further tinkering to its accelerated tax cut plan, which it says will deliver an extra $2000 to average earners, and $5000 to families.
As part of the tax plan revamp, the government is hoping to quickly get the parts of the package that benefit low and middle-income earners through the Senate, while leaving cuts for high income earners on hold until 2024.
Even more wage subsidies
Another drop to The Australian revealed the government would announce a back-to-work wage subsidy for businesses employing people under 35.
It’s part of the government’s plan to ease off the existing JobKeeper subsidy, which will wind up next March.
Infrastructure boost
Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge yesterday announced a $7.5 million national infrastructure package to build more roads around the country.
There’s already been a bit of State of Origin to the funding carve up — NSW will get $2.7 billion, more than double the $1.1 billion allocated to Victoria, despite the state being whacked hardest by the pandemic.
Queensland, meanwhile, will get $1.3 billion, which The Courier-Mail optimistically says will create 4000 direct and indirect jobs.
NSW takes a hit
But it’s not all rosy for NSW. Analysis in The Sydney Morning Herald suggests a $7.6 billion fall in national GST revenue will translate to a $2.3 billion shortfall for NSW, with some economists suggesting the actual numbers tonight will be even worse for the state.
Frydenberg and Cormann aren’t looking over the budget papers, they’re posing for a publicity shot that Crikey is pointlessly inflicting on its readers. Why do we keep seeing those shots of Morrison and ministers in hard hats? They aren’t news, they’re of no interest to anybody other than the immediate families of the smirking egoists shown. Please Crikey, be one media outlet that doesn’t play their pathetic games.
If ever there were a reason for real photos in the dead tree press, there is none whatsoever for stock pics in an ezine.
The most hotly-anticipated budget day in decades is finally here. Really?
I remarked to my son yesterday evening that no matter how old nor how many times I had already seen them, the re-runs of Spicks and Specks on ABC22 would be compulsory viewing for me tonight. A raft of political journalists asking questions and making comments on economic matters is a distinctly unedifying prospect and far from being hotly-anticipated by me.
Spicks & Specks never gets old whereas Budgets, especially tory ones, are all the old wrongs newly tarted up by the new old Right.
“Back in Black II”?