PETER HITCHENS: How the OSTRICH class are ruining Britain. These self-regarding rule makers dictate your life then bury their heads in the sand... and YOU are paying
They know nothing about anything but they share the conventional view of what is good, so their inability to think or observe does not matter.
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The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Australians could keep more of their wages if we rebalanced taxes on other forms of income
After working for three years on tax reform, choosing just one big idea is like choosing your favourite child. But one idea I want to see on the agenda is a dual-income system of tax – a system that taxes labour and capital income on separate schedules. With a dual-income model, we could reduce taxes on wages by rebalancing taxes on other forms of income. This would be done by introducing a separate schedule for passive incomes such as rent, interest and capital gains which could either have a flat rate or a simplified progressive structure, as we have with wages. You could still deduct losses from an investment property, for example, but only against other capital income, or carried forward to offset the tax paid when the asset is sold. Not against labour income. It will make our tax system fairer and more sustainable, while encouraging people to invest in themselves and build their skills. It will also reduce the incentives to split or reclassify income – often through the use of trusts – to exploit lower tax rates. Australia's current tax system applies progressive income tax rates to earnings from work – wages and salaries – but taxes other sources of income, including property, shares and superannuation, in a variety of ways. The idea of all income being pooled together sounds good in theory, but in practice, it means two people earning the same total income can pay vastly different amounts of tax depending on where that income comes from. This creates two problems. First, people on the same income can pay different amounts. Second, people on higher incomes can end up paying less tax than those earning less. Some argue this would reduce the incentive to save. However, evidence shows tax rates have little impact on how much people save, but do influence where they put it. The current system favours some forms of saving over others. A dual income system is not a novel concept and has been used in several European countries since the 1990s. The proposal has broad support by tax experts, including the Australian National University's Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. All tax reform is challenging. Rebalancing tax across income sources would allow Australians to smooth their total tax paid more evenly over their lifetime, instead of loading it most heavily when they have a good, well-paying job but also the most expenses: raising their kids, paying down student debt, and saving for or paying off a mortgage. Secondly, we have an ageing population and budget deficits underwritten by the implausible strategy that working Australians won't notice us taxing them more and more each year (through bracket creep). Finally, and importantly, this isn't about redistributing wealth from one generation to another or punishing those who have been savvy with their money. It's about preserving the overall progressivity of the system that all Australians expect while also encouraging people to invest in themselves. Allegra Spender is the independent member for Wentworth
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Oregon city that tried to ban homeless encampments agrees to ensure 150 camping spaces
The Oregon city at the heart of a major US supreme court homelessness ruling has agreed to ensure camping spaces for at least 150 people as part of a settlement reached with a disability rights group that sued the city over its camping rules. Disability Rights Oregon, which sued Grants Pass in January, said on Friday that it had reached a settlement agreement. The advocacy group accused the city of discriminating against people with disabilities and violating a state law requiring cities' camping regulations to be 'objectively reasonable'. Grants Pass has received national attention for its efforts to ticket and prosecute unhoused people sleeping outside. The city's legal battle resulted in a supreme court ruling dictating that local governments across the US can criminalize camping even when there is no shelter available for the homeless population. 'This settlement represents a significant step forward in ensuring people with disabilities experiencing homelessness have places to rest, basic necessities like drinking water, and real opportunity to stabilize their lives,' Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon, said in a statement. Grants Pass mayor, Clint Scherf, said in an email on Tuesday that the city appreciates having reached an agreement and will 'continue to work toward effective measures to benefit all members of our community'. A copy of the settlement agreement showed the city signed off on it earlier this month. Josephine county circuit court judge Sarah McGlaughlin issued a preliminary injunction in March blocking the city from enforcing its camping rules unless it increased capacity at city-approved sites for camping and ensured they are physically accessible to people with disabilities. City ordinances prohibit sleeping or leaving personal property in a park overnight in most cases. Those found in violation can be fined up to $50. The city said Friday on Facebook that law enforcement 'will begin noticing the parks, and occupants will have 72 hours to remove their belongings'. The city's website shows three 'designated resting locations' in the downtown area, near City Hall and the police station, where people can stay for four days before having to relocate. The time limit can be enforced unless disability accommodations are necessary, the city said on Facebook. At resting sites, individuals are limited to spaces that are 8ft by 8ft (2.4 metres by 2.4 metres), with buffers of 3ft (0.9 metres) between spaces, as outlined in city code. Under the settlement, Grants Pass must ensure that at least 150 camping spaces are available in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the next 12 months. Drinking water and hand washing stations must be available on-site. The city must also provide $60,000 in grant funding to a non-profit for homeless services. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Grants Pass, a small city of about 40,000 along the Rogue River in the mountains of southern Oregon, has struggled for years to address the homelessness crisis and become emblematic of the national debate over how to deal with it. Its parks in particular became a flashpoint, with many of them becoming the site of encampments blighted by drug use and litter. Last June, in a case brought by the city, the US supreme court ruled communities can ban sleeping outside and fine people for doing so, even when there are not enough shelter beds. After the high court ruling, Grants Pass banned camping on all city property except locations designated by the city council, which established sites for the town's hundreds of homeless people in a bid to move them from the parks. Upon taking office in January, the new mayor and new council members moved to close the larger of the two sites, which housed roughly 120 tents, according to Disability Rights Oregon's complaint, which said the sites were frequently crowded with poor conditions and inaccessible to people with disabilities because of loose gravel. After the lawsuit was filed, the city reopened a second, smaller site. McGlaughin's order in March said the city had to increase capacity to what it had been before the larger site was closed. Elsewhere, the California city of San Jose is similarly planning to open sanctioned camping sites in addition to the 'safe parking' it offers for people who live in vehicles such as RVs. The city of San Rafael, also in the San Francisco Bay Area, also has a sanctioned camping program. Homelessness increased 18% last year nationwide, driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and an increase in migrants in some areas.
Times
19 hours ago
- Times
What to do now if you didn't get the GCSE results you wanted
G CSE results day is emotional. For many, it's a moment of celebration. For others, it can be difficult and uncertain both for young people and their family. If your results weren't what you hoped for, or if you're now rethinking your subject choices, I want to offer some reassurance: you are not alone, and you have options. Hundreds of thousands of young people across the country now face big decisions about what to do next. Remember that in 2024, 32 per cent of entries did not reach a grade 5 strong pass, and only around 60 per cent of grades were a grade 4 or above in English and maths. So please do not worry; I've seen many go on to great success after a stumble at this point.
