Henry in The Australian Monday 26 March 2012:

"The challenge facing Queensland's new 264 is to clean up the legacy of 14 years of Labor rule, improve the state's 266 and deliver on its ambitious election promises. "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.

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Campbell_must_clean_up_state_finances_Mon_26_Mar_2012.pdf

There is inspiration in respiration

One of those obnoxious climate sceptics, may they perish in the eternal flames (should it stop raining long enough for those flames to burn the way they used to), has written querying a report on the ABC science blog. That report suggests climate change is to blame for yes, obesity: “Steadily rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be affecting brain chemistry and contributing to the obesity epidemic”. The sceptic (may he perish etc.) complains this assertion does not seem to be based on any evidence.

Read more at Henry's blog.

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ThereIsInspirationInRespiration.pdf

Henry in The Australian Monday 19 March 2012:

"Since 1999 Australia's prison population has increased by 50 per cent. And with high and likely rising recidivism rates, it seems set to continue growing."

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the  link below to download a pdf.

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It_s_only_when_crime_doesn_t_pay_that_criminals_will_be_deterred_Mon_19_Mar_2012.pdf

The 264 is placing huge weight on its rather small cut in the company tax rate. However, Australia has an imputation tax system. That means that dividends that are ‘franked’ are effectively pre-payments of personal income tax. As a result, the company tax bites most when companies are paying dividends to foreign shareholders. Those dividends are typically covered by double tax agreements: so payments made on investments in Australia to foreign investors are taxed at the higher of the Australian or foreign tax rate. When the Australian rate of company tax is cut, the investor’s tax liability only decreases if the effective Australian tax rate is higher than the tax rate overseas. In other cases, the result of cutting the Australian tax rate is simply to transfer tax from the ATO to its foreign counterparts. 

Read more at Henry's blog.

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JustHowImportantCuttingCompanyTaxRates.pdf

Henry in The Australian Monday 12 March 2012:

"Should the News 267 Council recommended by the Finkelstein 267 inquiry be established, it will have no difficulty finding penalties: for severe offences, 100 pages of the inquiry's report; for recidivism, another 100; and for the truly heinous, the entire document, committed to memory. Like capital punishment, that should ensure recalcitrants never do it again. "

More reading at Henry's blog.

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the  link below to download a pdf.

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Watchdog_can_muzzle_264_critics_Mon_12_Mar_2012.pdf

Henry in The Australian Monday 5 March 2012:

"Whatever Wayne Swan's strengths may be, a sense of irony is not among them. Were it, he might have hesitated to publish in The Monthly, the brainchild and mouthpiece of developer Morry Schwartz, an essay excoriating tycoons for investing in the 267. But then again, The Monthly hews to the Left; and what Swan really objects to is not tycoons as such, but those who dare to disagree with him."

Click here to read the op-ed at The Australian's website (subscription required) or on the link below to download a pdf.  

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Swan_s_attack_on_wealthy_a_bit_rich_5_Mar_2012.pdf