Re: Affect of GST on Rail.

["< Tell >" <telljb@netozemail.com.au>]

mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly) wrote:
>
> Noticed recently whilst looking at ARTCs track access charges that all the 
> current charges dont include GST.
> I presume that this means that after 1 July all track access charges will 
> include GST and therefore rise by 10%.
> Given that Rails competitors , namely road dont pay an equivalant road usage 
> charge,this would surely mean that rails competetiveness will fall further 
> behind again.
> Or am I missing something.?
> MD


Yes there will be quite a few surprises when the GST
comes in.

Put that aside for the moment, I still can not
understand this argument that says the reason why rail
is so uncompetitive is because the pollies spend all
the money on the roads for trucks.  Yes the ratio of
spending is very biased towards roads, but tell that to
the millions of motorists.

How about all those state politicians and their railway
administrators who ALLOWED the trucks to become more
competitive.!  The warning signs were there before WW2.

Many years ago AN introduced the RoadRailer to
Australia and took it everywhere to sell the idea.  
You would have thought NSW with its restrictive loading
gauge would have jumped on this one, along with
Victoria and removed hundreds of semis off the Hume
Highway.  ..............They did NOTHING.!

Are people suggesting they get more money after the
billions that have been spent in the last 100+ years to
indulge in the age old Australian sport of custom built
loco's, political pass trains, different work rules and
safe working systems.?

Where would you begin, keep the present mish mash of a
national rail operator with three owners operating over
so many different owned tracks.  Let NSW continue to do
its own thing.  Just pour the money in and it will get
all those trucks off the road.?   I doubt it.
  
----Terry Burton
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