My friends in NZ call Australia the MEAN country. Their pension system is an entitlement for everyone with no gatekeeping and complicated rules administered by federal public servants with high superannuation rates. However in NZ everyone has to file a tax return so if you are wealthy you pay tax back to the government. The cost of government in Australia is a very expensive drain on tax payers. The fact that politicians have far high rates of superannuation than everyone else is an outrage in our so called egalitarian society.
When came to this heavenly Country 12 years ago, things were great, unfortunately the usual problems: education and bad politicians, are beginning to “bloom”, too fast for my taste. Have seen too much of the 3rd world country my parents migrated to after the war, that the parallel is striking.
At age 73 I have recently become unqualified for a disability pension (thanks to a property down sizing) and am now a self funded retiree. Fair enough, but I still qualify for the Seniors Health Card. However applying for the Health Card is like going through the “Spanish Inquisition” and after being a client of Centrelink for 12 years it is like I just arrived from outer space with a 3 month wait after the massive amount of paperwork is submitted. One would expect that given all the information Centrelink would have on me, the transition from part pension to just a Health Card would be almost seamless.
The one Component of the Assets Test I find totally confusing is having to declare your car as an Asset. The only Asset your car provides you is getting from point A to Point B.
On the other hand, the cost of running and using your car provides many Assets to the Government and Local/Rural Communities.
Costs such as: Petrol, Rego, Insurance, Servicing, Tyres, Products to keep car clean. All of these costs incur GST and Excise Tax in the case of Petrol.
We then use our cars to travel to different places and spend up on accommodation and supporting local Restaurants and Attractions.
So my point is that this “Asset” is a constant drain on our limited income because of the ongoing costs and Taxes associated with it’s ownership.
I realize we get cheaper Rego and we are able to depreciate that Asset, but the point remains I don’t think it should be an Asset in the first place
My friends in NZ call Australia the MEAN country. Their pension system is an entitlement for everyone with no gatekeeping and complicated rules administered by federal public servants with high superannuation rates. However in NZ everyone has to file a tax return so if you are wealthy you pay tax back to the government. The cost of government in Australia is a very expensive drain on tax payers. The fact that politicians have far high rates of superannuation than everyone else is an outrage in our so called egalitarian society.
When came to this heavenly Country 12 years ago, things were great, unfortunately the usual problems: education and bad politicians, are beginning to “bloom”, too fast for my taste. Have seen too much of the 3rd world country my parents migrated to after the war, that the parallel is striking.
At age 73 I have recently become unqualified for a disability pension (thanks to a property down sizing) and am now a self funded retiree. Fair enough, but I still qualify for the Seniors Health Card. However applying for the Health Card is like going through the “Spanish Inquisition” and after being a client of Centrelink for 12 years it is like I just arrived from outer space with a 3 month wait after the massive amount of paperwork is submitted. One would expect that given all the information Centrelink would have on me, the transition from part pension to just a Health Card would be almost seamless.
The one Component of the Assets Test I find totally confusing is having to declare your car as an Asset. The only Asset your car provides you is getting from point A to Point B.
On the other hand, the cost of running and using your car provides many Assets to the Government and Local/Rural Communities.
Costs such as: Petrol, Rego, Insurance, Servicing, Tyres, Products to keep car clean. All of these costs incur GST and Excise Tax in the case of Petrol.
We then use our cars to travel to different places and spend up on accommodation and supporting local Restaurants and Attractions.
So my point is that this “Asset” is a constant drain on our limited income because of the ongoing costs and Taxes associated with it’s ownership.
I realize we get cheaper Rego and we are able to depreciate that Asset, but the point remains I don’t think it should be an Asset in the first place