Re: GST & the Budget

["Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au>]

I wrote in message <3750eccf@nap-ns1>...
>The only good news now for Rail is that it does not have to pay a
>'road tax' from July 1 2000, otherwise the big trucks still benefit.
>
>The main issue is that there is NO new infrastructure for Rail.  To be fair
>to Rail, the fuel excise already paid the past financial year and the
excise
>to be paid in the present financial year should be invested in new track.
I
>doubt whether any Senator with the balance of power even thought of giving
>something back to the Rail Industry at all.
>

I should have clarified by stating no NEW funding rather than
Infrastructure.
The $250million touted is over 4 years, and is brought up at every Budget,
giving the impression that it is $250million per year.

The diesel fuel excise was a road users tax, this should be refunded to the
Rail Industry in the form of grants for capital expenditure.  But this will
be thrown into roads.

If you read in yesterdays letters to the Editor in the Financial Review, a
letter from Vince Graham NRC CEO stated that the NRC is paying rail access
charges plus fuel excise(a road access charge), which effectively costs the
NRC 78cents per kilometre.  I doubt the Road Industry would have paid fuel
excise plus a levy to the Main Roads Department, or a fuel excise of 78
cents per kilometre.  Road taxes for Interstate Truckers is
unconstitutional.  Why isn't any charges for an interstate rail operator
deemed as preventing Free Trade between the States?

Regardless of Railways being a State responsibilty, so are roads hospitals,
child care and schools.  The Feds will use a get out clause if it suits
them.  The Commonwealth collects most of our taxes, so thats where the money
is.  $110 billion in our income taxes alone.

Whoever owns or runs a railway fighting about it will not fix that goat
track they call the Melbourne to Albury interstate S.G. line.
Would you use a road that still had the same bitumen as it did in 1962, well
that is what is happening  on the rails now between Melbourne and Albury,
and rail is supposed to compete!!?