The following article reminds me of the movie 'The Patriot' with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. Mel Gibson plays the role of a revolutionist, and in the Confederate parliament, he poses the question 'But why should I substitute a British tyrant 3000 miles away with one in my backyard'.
Its a good question...but that is precisely what one does when one accepts the initiation of force or coercion as a basis for political discourse. Which brings me to the question of the Australian federation, where you have two tyrants claiming a piece of your life, whether you are an investor or worker. The Australian government last year without warning stated that it was going to raise the royalties of minerals by 40% (aka Resource Rent Tax). This was after no consultation, and resulting in investors losing a great deal of value from their wealth.
Now we have the sorry situation of the states stepping in and saying they want their share of the 'spoil'. This is like two greedy colonial masters fighting over territory. The problem will of course end up in the High Court, where they will rule that the government had no business intruding in the affairs of the states. The Resource Rent Tax is a quasi-royalty, as much as they might dress it up as an income tax, and it is an attempt to steal wealth from shareholders, and now the states.
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Author
Andrew Sheldon
