Just super
John Kotsopoulos writes: Re. “Super changes” (yesterday). Richard Creswick is pulling the wrong rein when he compares Howard’s action to stamp out the so called “bottom of the harbour” tax dodges of the 1980s to the retrospective fiasco of Turnbull’s superannuation changes. The hint should be in the nickname given to the schemes Howard dismantled. Until Howard acted, companies owing taxes and other financial obligations were often shut down and all relevant documents made to disappear ie sent to the bottom of the harbour. This was illegal tax evasion rather than tax avoidance through smart tax planning. Not that the likes of Morrison would know as they seem to struggle to understand the difference between average annual earnings ($80,000) and the earnings of the average wage earner ($60,000).
On asylum seeker policy
Ben Marshall writes: Re. “Asylum seeker policy must weigh consequences: and that includes turnbacks” (yesterday). Solution: Work out a regional agreement — a genuine one, not a secret corrupt deal to bribe some wretched nation into dealing with our shit — with, principally, Indonesia and the UNHCR to humanely process refugees. In other words, create a queue. Anyone found on a boat is taken back to the Indonesian/ UNHCR camp and put to the very back of the queue again. There’s no advantage to getting on a boat so deaths at sea end. We fund the bulk of it, treat people humanely, process them, increase our intake, and still save a bundle compared to the rape camps.
Trolls Under the Bridge
Haven’t you read Three Nanny Goats Gruff – a Norwegian children’s story about a nasty troll hiding under a bridge who tried to stop the nanny goats from crossing the bridge. Go to storylibrary.org/the_three_nanny_goats gruff to learn more.
Carolyn Wood