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I am sorry to say guys and girls this is a budget that was always going to happen at some point. Just because the deficit was "inflated" doesn't mean there isn't one. Eventually you have to rectify that. And that always means pain. If you rectify it early it means less pain later. Particularly when you consider some home truths.
1. there are going to be more old, non tax paying people in this country living longer with ever more serious quality of life concerns in the next 10-15 years (right about when we would have a serious budget emergency if we did nothing now).
2. there will be fewer than 2 working age people per welfare recipients (pensions/dole whatever) within my lifetime (I am mid 20's) unless radical changes are made to how we target welfare and how we tax people.
The problem with this country is the welfare base (those getting it) has become to broad. The tax base to narrow and the expectations the people put on government too high. We simply cannot given the projected aging in our population support the welfare society that has existed for the last 50 years. At least not without major reworking of either the tax system, or welfare or both.
I personally don't have a problem with any politician breaking a promise (as opposed to outright lying) it is foolish in the extreme to expect anyone to be able to forecast what they can deliver in the next 2 months much less 3 years. What matters to me is the ability of our elected reps to be able to make the call and walk away from a bad promise (as the Libs have done on somethings). The problem isn't with the pollies (well it is too I guess) its with us! We punish them at the ballot box if they admit they broke a promise even if they do so with good reason. Kinda creates a incentive for them to never answer a question straight if they know people are just going to lose their **** because it is different from what they said last week.. month... year ect ect. Now I am a liberal supporter I say it freely but I am also set to be one of the worse affected by this budget, I am unemployed (since September) under 30 and do not live near public transport, but i would support any budget, by any party (well maybe not Palmer lol), that attempts to rectify structural issues with the budget.
A good option that might be possible in a few years with help from technology is getting rid of income tax and moving to a wealth tax. Where you are taxed on your total wealth each year rather than earned wealth each year. This avoids tax loopholes like being paid in shares or cars ... ect.
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