A couple of questions - not in an arguementative way but again a more out of curiosity - it's interesting to see how other people think:
If super could be taken in a lump sum, wouldn't some just blow it on a new Ferrari and a trip around the world, or go to the casino and blow it on the pokies - then where would they be left? You've earned an income for your whole life so why would you suddenly need a massive lump sum all of a sudden?
1, 2, and 3) I agree
4 and 5) If petrol revenue is decreased that is great for us motorists, but how would this income to the govt be replaced?
2nd 6) You have 6 twice 
Again where would all the revenue then come from if the gst is scrapped? Don't you think gst is a fairer tax system rather than what we had previously where the payg earners beared the brunt of most things and cash job earners (eg tradies) got away with heaps?
7) Agree
In respect to super, yes, when you take the whole amount, you can have the right to blow it, all of it on drug sex and rockn roll and good luck to you. Its your money, you have put it away, so do what you want.
What has happened is that the government does'nt like that, for with an older population, they will have to pay the pensions and they complain that people should not double dip, piss their supa off and then claim the pension. But, at present, if you have a good accountant, you can still have your super tucked away, drip feeding you and still claim the pension, plus if you are really well off, you can still claim the pension (in a limited amount), eventhough you have millions.
Plus the polies could before the parliamentary reforms collect their super in a lump sum and not pay tax.
See, it boils down to a new income stream for super companies, if they payout large super payments like lump some to people, their income from fees go down, hence value and hence share stock value. At present AMP is after AXA, why, the super it has under management!,
In having drip fed payouts, the super companies still can claim fees on outstanding super balances.
As an example, you might get $200 a week as income , which comes in at about 10k a year, but still get charged a/. Bank fees for having it in a bank, b/. Super management fees for the super companies to look after it. So don't be supprised that you would be slugged about 1.5% on your balance outstanding.
So if you have $100,000 in your account sitting there being drip fed to you, the super companies slug you over $1000 a year in management fees. Now multiply this by thousands of account holders in super.
This can run into the Billions, yes Billions in management fees, with CEO's, senior management, large share holders feeding at the trough. We are talking about the yellow brick road of money, every day, nearly $100 million is deposited into super accounts of fund managers..muliply by 52 weeks and year after year...we are talking some serious money, that is just sitting in a big kitty.
Talk about dracula being put in charge of the blood bank!
If I was AMP, I would be after AXA and any super management companies I can get my teeth into.
So with super, take the contributions your employer gives you, but put your contributions away into something else, kids eductaion fund, house payments, holiday account, investment account, second investment residence, units etc.
Why, because, you will not recieve your money until your 67. You don't have the money in your hand, so you will not miss it at all, for you don't have it in the first place to miss. You are not relising the super balance as an asset yet, it is an expense, for you are contributing to it, for a later date...
If you have a super balance that your employer has contibuted to, change it to growth, real max growth and stash the letter balances away under the couch, if it makes money, it makes money, if not, so what, you physically did not have the money in your hands, to lose in the first place. Basically it is a unrealised asset...in accounting terms.
The bastards lost it in the crap they pumped primed the housing market in the US.
Why? its not your money, its the super companies money, it will be your money when they give it to you at the ripe age of 67...so stuff it, why wait till your 67, take your contributions now and do something with them.
If you are a tradie, pay the min amount into super, just as a tax doge, them wack the rest into other things...related to your business and claim a tax rebate at the financial year accounting date.
This is my OWN PERSONAL VIEW, I'm not a registered account or financial adviser, I have a degree in financial economics, but i do not practice publicily, just on my person finances.
As for the GST and tradies, people ie tradies are still getting around the GST payment for asking for cash, some will be running 2 books, the ATO accounts and the black market account. Yes, they will get hit when they pay for things because of the GST. But they are realising the asset now, and are not getting charged fkn bank fees, plus cash talks, credit walks!, cash will be always king, why...you can use it straight away as a medium of exchange without any strings...ie interest rate.
Why do you think that the gold price has increased...because gold is physically there, you can see gold, exhange gold, melt gold into money...can't do that with credit ! Credit fkd the US economy, it caused the Gobal Financial Crises!
But and it is a big but, the GST is not balanced over all the Goods and services in the economy. Example, with food stuffs,a raw cook at supermrket, GST free, a cooked chook, GST charged, so the GST must be applied equally.
Then there is the fkn state governments, the whole GST by Howard and that idiot democrate woman(eyebrowed little ...)was sold on the assumption that all state revenue taxes would be gone and the GST would be in its place. Well those bastards have you by the balls, petrol for instance, Govt tax, State tax + GST. Bought a house lately, state sales tax and some GST thrown in for good measure, bought a car, same again.
Those mungrels are double dipping, charging state taxes and getting a GST as well...bastards.
As for petrol tax revenue being replaced, it already has been, looked at your bills lately, electricity, up, gas up, road rego up, green slip, up. The states allocation of the GST funding will be another record, that's how come Howard kept the books in surplus, he was getting record GST income, slipped some to the states to keep them quite, then stashed the rest into the coffers to keep the budget in surplus. But that's a different story and a bloody long boring economic lecture.
The GST at present is not fair, it was'nt ment to be fair, it was ment to raise revenue to the government, fair is in Eutopia, just ask the Greens and the little fairies in the bottom of your garden.
We saw a classic example, the miners tax, a well thought out tax, a proper tax, it was to pay for the infrustructure we need in this country, the railroads,harbours, freeways, hospitals, school teachers, we desperately need.but with emotional bulcrap over investment and jobs the miners dragged up and the press pushed.
Who sacked contractors immediately when the GFC hit, the mining companies, talk about being bloody hypocrites, well, the Mining tax got bastardised and we are left with half a tax which will create half the revenue, it was to get in the first place.
But who will pick up the tab for the balance...you and me, yet again.
Fortescue and his mates are laughing all the way to the bank, making billions from our resources, in our country, using a lot of our infrustructure the fed government has paid for with our taxes...I sympathise with the indigenious folk of our land.
So the miners got away with it, the petrol companies are getting away with it, the banks definitely are, while us little blokes are getting bent over again, yet again.
I hope they will be using condoms....
I'm finished, my soap box is about to break, I'm drippling again, so I'm off it..
Happy campering for Xmas...may the mozzies don't bite and the tinnies stay cold.
