090.death tax: greens party plans to tax the dead

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ENVIRONMENT

DEATH TAX: Greens party plans to tax the deadBy VEXNEWS July 29, 2010

The Greens partys extreme policies continue togo largely unscrutinised by the media in thiselection despite published opinion pollsindicating that they will achieve as much as 15%of the vote nation-wide including winning theinner-city seats of Melbourne and even Sydneyand Grayndler, on the back of Liberalpreferences.

The Greens partys soaring vote especially inthe Senate could give them much more thansymbolic wins, it will give them a balance ofpower or a legislative veto that the extreme leftparty has never had, indeed no extreme left partyhas have ever had in the history of this country.

WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHINGThe Greens party method of operation is to cloak

extreme-left policies that have been long since dropped by even most Socialist Left ALP members, usually because of a recognition theyare electoral poison, under the blanket of protecting the environment which continues to be a rightly popular cause.

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One of the extreme lefts ancient enthusiasms has been taxing death or more particularly taxing the estates of people whove just died.

Fulfilling their extreme left mission, in their current Economics policy dated March 2010, the Greens party propose an estate tax. It isburied in the fine-print of the policy documents which are rarely brought to public attention. In this case, VEXNEWS understands the policywas generated out of Greens party leader Senator Bob Browns office after being approved by what passes for a Greens party policyprocess.

The balance of power that the Greens party aims for could well be used as leverage to implement radical policies of this kind.

Thats exactly what theyre telling voters in seats like Melbourne, according to those in the seat whove been accosted by Greens partycampaigners, who say theyll pressure Labor to adopt their policies, on climate change et al. Naturally enough they dont talk about theirplans to impose a death tax very often but its right there in their economic policy.

Death taxes were once levied in Australia by the states until the Queensland Nats did one of their occasionally inspired acts andabolished it in 1977, enticing oldies from the south to retire in the sun and avoid probate tax as it was called. As a result, by 1984, allfederal and state death taxes in Australia were abolished. [For more than you'd ever want to know about the history of our tax system clickhere.]

Taxing vulnerable and oftenfrail old people whoveworked hard all their lives,paid taxes and saved whatwas left and paid taxes onthat and invested and paidyet more taxes and hopedto leave a legacy to theirkids or grandkids and/ormaybe some to charity or

whoever is now almost universally in Australian politics as politically stupid and bad policy too.

If you tax death then you also have to tax gifts to stop people dissipating their estates before they die.

SLUGGING THE ELDERLYIn jurisdictions where there are estate taxes, they seem to raise much less money than intended but still cause incredible disruption andangst for people when they should winding down, not stressing about everything theyve worked for being sold up in an Australian TaxOffice auction. Some economists (one an ALP candidate in this election) have argued that people even delay dying for favourable taxoutcomes. Yes, really.

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The Greens policy says its proposed death tax would exempt family farms, small business worth less than $5 million and the familyhome. They dont specify a rate, but in the United States their estate tax rate is 55 cents in the dollar.

So potentially under the Greens party policy, precious family heirlooms or jewellery or much-loved family beach shack or painting that hadbeen in the family for generations would all be vulnerable to seizure, sale and the government taking half the proceeds. As a refugee, yourgrandmother smuggled her grandmothers priceless engagement ring out of occupied Europe in World War II to Australia. Too bad, theGreens want their 55%, thanks.

AN ATTACK ON AUSTRALIAN PROSPERITYGreat Australian family businesses built from scratch like Murdochs News Corporation, Lindsay Foxs Linfox, Lowys Westfield, the lategreat Richard Pratts Visy could become majority owned by the state or most likely would be carved up and liquidated under the Greensdeath tax plan.

Its a policy that would do Hugo Chavez proud.

As ever, the shrewd would do everything they could to avoid it, the honest would just do as theyd done all their lives and pay the death tax,as legislated.

Its a controversial policy, not without superficial appeal to some when we consider consider playboys like Stevie Lew, the son ofbillionaire Sol Lew, who dumped his wife shortly after she had a baby, and continues to tool around Melbourne in flash convertibles andwith Daddys black Amex.

But the truth is that tearing apart the great Australian businesses that have been built up after World War II would create tremendousinstability in Australia and undermine much of the incentive these great business creators had in the first place. They wanted to leave alegacy of achievement for their kids. Not wealth, achievement. In the case of Westfield, Visy and Linfox, the founders kids are workingon the business and dont drive flash cars they havent earned.

It would not serve Australias interest to destroy all that in the name of ideological zeal.

LABOR HAS INDEED MOVED FORWARD WHILE THE GREENS LOOK BACK IN ANGERThese debates occasionally arise in the moderate left party, the ALP.

But mostly sensible people are in the majority there and can stop most crazy schemes.

Never mind the labels of Left and Right, today pragmatic people dominate both Labors Right and Left factions, probably for the first timein Australian history. There are exceptions, as we occasionally enjoy chronicling, but they arent as many or as powerful as they usedto be. Labor is probably as representative of the Labor supporters voting for it as it has ever been, for which they endure vitriol of the

GREENS SCRAP DEATH TAX:Former leader Bob Brownblames VEXNEWS for theneed to dump estate taxpolicy

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academic ultra-left and some Fairfax journalists who crave an obscure, irrelevant, radical, unpopular and unrepresentative Labour party ofthe kind that prevailed in Thatchers Britain. Certainly it made good copy.

But Labors leadership Left and Right would be horrified at the idea of waiting for the Lowys, the Pratts or Murdochs to die and thenconfiscate half of what theyd built.

Attacking capital costs jobs. Thats why a massive, sudden tax increase on the mining industry made many in Labor very nervous. Theywant to be and they ought to be encouraged to be ensuring the conditions are right for job creation. Thats been the great and valuableinsight made by social democrats within Labor: the best kind of welfare is the best-paying job and the strongest possible safety net foreveryone can only be created by a government drawing from the strongest possible economy.

Even Labors Left seem to get it. Most of them anyway. Tanner, Ferguson, Gillard, even our old target Kim Carr seem to understand it quitewell. This is to be celebrated.

A death tax would be bad for Australia, simply, it encourages consumption among the wealthy and punishes thrift and investment. It is acause of great delight and revenue for lawyers and accountants paid to minimise it. Would we rather successful people in this countryspend up lavishly on imported luxuries and smart-alec tax lawyers or keep reinvesting in their businesses, creating jobs and opportunityfor Australia?

HALF-BAKED HASH COOKIESThe Greens party have not as ever carefully considered their policy. Like illicit drug use, it felt good so they just went and did it, casuallydisregarding the adverse consequences.

Thats why its so important that the policy of this extreme-left and very well-cloaked party are examined carefully and brought to publicattention.

They need to be accountable. With 15% of the vote, they will inevitably eventually be in a position to get some of the agenda implementedusing the leverage of a balance of power in the Senate or even horrifyingly in the House of Representatives where our nationalgovernment is formed.

There are good people within the Greens party. Give us a week and well try to think of one. But seriously, they are playing by differentrules.

If Gillard announces a dumb policy, then we hear all about it. Tom Bentleys Citizens Assembly, for example. If Abbott makes a mess inpolicy terms as he has with an incredibly confusing set of proposals that would both increase company taxes on our best Australiancompanies and then later decrease them with a continued differential rate, then it gets plenty of adverse attention.


The Greens party propose the most outrageous policies and they rarely get called on it.

Their brand attracts people who worry about the environment. And many people legitimately fear for the planet.

With decisions by made the Liberals and Labor, the community has won many big fights, drastically reducing pollution (as the dolphins inthe Maribyrnong River and Sydney Harbour demonstrate), protecting built heritage and forests and biodiversity, it is right and good thatLiberals and Labor people continue to embrace the cause of environmental protection.

Doing so gives them much more credibility when challenging the excesses of environmentalist extremists who say carbon emissioncaused climate change could prompt Doomsday while proposing solutions that would merely export jobs to those places not willing toembrace carbon taxes. And much more credibility when they challenge enviro extremists on issues like their stubborn ideologicalopposition to nuclear energy which emits zero carbon.

The Greens party is not an environmental party. It is a party of the far-left that wants to punish private school students, ban our incrediblypopular world-class zoos from importing animals and even wants to tax death.

Their policies are extreme. They survive little scrutiny or analysis.

We sense the Greens party balloon has inflated to its fullest point. And as ever, we are delighted to be the prick.

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andrew Landeryou, Political Fiend and Asia Pacific Brief, vexnews. vexnews said: DEATHTAX: Greens party plans to tax the dead: In a policy that hasn't yet had much scrutiny, the Greens party pla http://bit.ly/96KOJH [...]

Posted by Tweets that mention VEXNEWS 2010 | DEATH TAX: Greens party plans to tax the dead -- Topsy.com | July 29, 2010,9:55

Of course, the smart money will always be held in trusts and companies, so would never be touched by estate taxes. It would only bethe lower and middle classes getting duped into paying, thereby not generating any meaningful tax revenue for the government.

Posted by Anonymous | July 29, 2010, 9:59


From July 2011 this country will be held to ransom by complete nut-bags who are willfully ignorant of the real world.

Posted by burst that balloon | July 29, 2010, 10:34

It will be very interesting to see whether there is any media analysis of the Greens policies

Posted by Sandy | July 29, 2010, 11:09

thats ok dead people dont vote for the greens anyway

Posted by sai | July 29, 2010, 13:07

On the one hand we have property developers ripping the guts out of forrests for profit motive. On the other hand we have the Greenswho will effectively tax the working classes.

Two bunch of elites screwing the public interest for their own agendas.

Ive had enough of this rubbish. When will something be done about it?

Posted by Anon | July 29, 2010, 13:37

Actually, it is a brilliant policy.

Posted by patrick | July 29, 2010, 14:24

This proposal just proves how stupid and looney Brown and his cohorts are. Now they are doing snide and slimey back door dealswith Labor in order to get some of these looney ideas up. Well you idiots such a proposal might work for a couple of years, but whathappens when people decide enough is enough and star dying with not a zac to their name. Brown best go back to biting his pillowand just fade away you lost me years ago with your antics at Crown and those unemployed scabs living on welfare who support yourstupid ideas.

Posted by BANYULE BLAST | July 29, 2010, 15:46

Talking about scrutiny, interesting that this article doesnt have the details of the writer just Vexnews. Doesnt really tell the readermuch about the political agenda of the journo who penned it.

As for The Greens policies not being reported by the media thats hardly the fault of The Greens. They are the only party that has all oftheir policies available online in full all year round. Doesnt seem fair to ask them to do your job for you?

This is just a beat-up and a chance to call The Greens extreme (although repeating it ten times in one article does seem a little, well extreme).

The closer the election gets and the more people are disillusioned with LibLab the more silly articles like this will come out.


As for An attack on prosperity dont make me laugh. You listed Pratt who it was just revealed was as dodgy as an $11 note, Murdochwho disowned Australia for a tax break and both Linfox and Westfield who bend over backwards to look green to customers but areamong two of the highest political donors.

Although they wont be giving any donations to The Greens, but not because the dont want to. Because The Greens dont takedonations from organisations unlike LibLab. Who are both often beholden to vested interests (ETS, Mining Tax, Fuel EmissionRegulations all scuttled in last 4 months).

The Green party isnt a party of the far left, it is an independent party. And like or not theyll be around for a while yet. They are also thefaster growing party.

Posted by Wayno | July 29, 2010, 16:20

_with a threshold of $5 million as indexed from the year 2010._

So all you eager beavers are worried about your $5 million+ inheritances and bequeathments. Greens against the workers!- meh

-The rate is unspecified, though the US has a rate of X. Give me a break; you probably also advocate a continuation of most of theneo-lib/con US style of economic management that will see us paying for years (read generations) as the chickens keep cominghome.

-They want your jewels and heirlooms; Its a public web site (which is actually relatively forthright) and I think they were trying to politelyexplain things to the idiots; of course youve already sought more clarification/ detail.

-your reasoning and demonstration of critical thinking suggests that no amount of hash cookie abstinence will help your brain tofunction in any way, shape, or form.

People like you are the reason we have so many retarded politicians and the continuation of policy free elections.

Vote #1 LibLabs!

Posted by hashlover | July 29, 2010, 17:52

Sai, you are correct, dead people dont vote for Greens but certainly a hell of a lot still manage to vote Labor.

Posted by Photo ID at Polling Booths Needed | July 29, 2010, 20:44

Im now voting for Greens, as a ALP member (soon to be ex) I cant wait to tell them they are fucked.

Posted by anon | July 29, 2010, 20:46

The major parties are weak and just act to try to impress the undecided voters who are on the whole selfish and ignorant. As such theirpolicies are never forward thinking. Australia has become the most polluting country in the world per capita. We dig up our mineralsand cut down our forests for a pittance and then buy back the goods and ridiculous prices. Only the Greens have the guts to think


ahead to create forward thinking responsible policies. The ONLY good people in Australian politics are Green candidates.

Posted by Hamish Fawns | July 30, 2010, 0:29

Of course if you were able to be honest you could call it for what it is, a tax on the inheritors of an estate. The departed dont need it, justquietly, and the beneficiaries benefit from the increased services that the nation as a whole is able to provide. Win, win.The only ones with their noses out of joint are the types who go around writing their names on mums furniture every time she catchesa cold. Parasites.

Posted by Persse | July 30, 2010, 9:54

[...] tax as part of its economic platform, which the Greens are taking to the upcoming federal election, as reported by VEXNEWS thisweek. Estate taxes, otherwise known as death duties, were a common part of Australian life for most of [...]

Posted by Combining lifes two certainties death and wacky Green taxes The VECCI Blog | July 30, 2010, 9:56

Death TAX??? The sort of dysphemistic language, you only hear from polititions. Not journalists.

To the cloaked author, trying to expose the greens cloaked policies.

Your story started as though it could have been an interesting look into greens policy. Instead, 1683 words later, I am yet to read evenone, half decent analysis of any of their policies.

I am not a greens supporter. I just cant stand rubbush slander. Your readers deserve more honesty.

I ask anyone concerned with this policy, to have a good look into it.

Posted by James B | July 30, 2010, 13:58

The Greens are a left-wing party pursuing left-wing policies and as far as I know they have never tried to deny this or pretend otherwise.Certainly they have policies other than environmental ones, and while for a large number of Green voters the environment is thenumber one issue, there are others who vote for the Greens primarily because of their policies on transport, health, education,refugees, urban planning, and so on.

As for the charges of extremism well, extremism is in the eye of the beholder. As the major parties drift further and further to the right(some would say extreme right), even moderate left-wing policies may appear extreme simply because of their distance from what themajor parties advocate, but this does not make the policies themselves extreme.

As for the specific policy you discuss the estate tax it seems to me that we do not have enough information about what is beingproposed to make a proper judgement. As you yourself point out, we do not know what the proposed tax rate would be. It may be wellless than what you imagine.

I agree that Greens policies should be scrutinised, as should the policies of all parties. That is why we have the Parliament to debate


and test policy ideas. If a proposal needs fixing, it can be amended. If it is no good at all, it can be rejected. But to write off the entireGreens party and their policies, simply because of one sentence that you disagree with, seems foolhardy to me.

Posted by Steven | July 30, 2010, 14:26

I would be interested to know if this death tax will attack & deplete super that is inherited?

Posted by juanita | August 9, 2010, 15:31

Death tax is a thing of the past!!!!

Posted by SD | August 18, 2010, 9:33

So, the Murdochs and Linfoxs of the world are examples of the bright lights of our economic future? Aggressive monopolizingcompanies (Coles, Woolies anyone?) that conduct business to wipe out any and all competitors so they have total dominance of themarketplace? Im not interested in a US-style, may-as-well-be lasse faire economy. Im interested in a society that has everyone man,woman and child, regardless of their socio-economic status progressing. At the moment, it is only the select few very wealthy andthose lucky enough to have been able to take advantage of the housing boom that progress. The rest of us plebs live a life on a knife-edge. Its fucked. Change is needed otherwise our rapid acceleration to the tipping point will get ever faster.

I support the idea that extreme wealth generated through life, by taking advantage of society, should be injected back into said society.Obviously, the welfare of the donor and their family must be taken into consideration, but hoarding all the cash at the detriment to thesociety that provided the generation of said wealth does very little to help our nation as a whole.

Anyways, without a percentage to quote, this is all probably a storm in a teacup. I would like to believe we certainly wont be going downthe US track of 55%.

Posted by Justin | August 19, 2010, 10:36

I think death taxes sound like a great idea. If you hoard away enough money to surpass the threshold, then your estate shouldnt beable to retain it. It should be fed back into society. Im sick of entitled capitalists.

Posted by Jane | August 22, 2010, 19:19

how much death tax would i haveto pay on $400.

Posted by [email protected] | September 8, 2010, 23:18

There is a decided lack of information on the website about this proposed policy and I would like to read it fully has anyone read morethan 3 lines about it? It is impossible to know the impact without having facts to go on. Where are they?


Posted by helen | September 9, 2010, 11:11

Personally i think that death duties are part of the politics of envy; I guess Green is a good colour for it.

My estate is currently valued at about $150,000 including the house and Im currently on a pension. However, Im only, potentially, onePowerball away from being affected.

There is no information on the website. It is not so much a policy as an idea that hasnt been thought through to a conclusion.

Family trusts and closely held family companies could still be affected, depending on the legislation.

There is no guarantee that it will only affect net assets, so conceivably $6m in assets with $3m debt would still qualify.

Posted by lee | September 10, 2010, 15:22

2010 VEXNEWS 2013.

090.death tax: greens party plans to tax the dead

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