Labor Waste

Another million dollar talk-fest:

THE federal government’s 48-hour tax forum in Canberra will cost almost $1 million just to host, it has been revealed. According to the government’s own budget papers from May, an allocation of $900,000 was set aside to hold the two-day talk-fest that starts today.

The budget includes transport and accommodation for almost 200 attendees, catering, venue hire, audio visual, website development, photography and a professional conference organiser.

Budget paper No.2 confirmed the tax office would be billed by the Treasury for the event, which it described as a “tax plan for our future”.

“The cost of this measure is fully offset by a reduction in funding for the Australian Taxation Office,” it said.

The Opposition’s spokesman for the scrutiny of government, Jamie Briggs, said the cost could not be justified considering the limited scope of the forum, which will not focus on the three major taxes – carbon tax, mining tax and the GST.

“This limited talk-fest is costing taxpayers nearly $1 million to run but the big new Labor taxes aren’t even on the agenda to discuss,”

Read the rest here: $1 million to talk tax | thetelegraph.com.au.

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