If a tax is imposed on imported goods, then steps have to be taken to make sure that it isn’t avoided.

At present, customs randomly opens parcels to make sure the contents match the description and there isn’t anything else in the package.

That’s a fairly straightforward exercise, but one which costs money.

To impose a tax on imported goods, Customs need to now take several more steps beyond opening the parcel and checking what’s in there.

They would now also have to make some assessment as to whether the goods enclosed were correctly valued – that is, that the buyer and seller hadn’t come to an arrangement to undervalue the goods in order to avoid paying the tax.

They would also need some method of tracking parcels going to the same buyer – very easy to avoid the tax otherwise, by splitting a purchase into several small purchases (e.g. buying enough ‘parts’ separately then putting them together to make an item of taxable worth).

As is often the case, it’s the steps you have to take to ensure that a tax isn’t being avoided which cost the money.

Black is white with Abbott.

And the MSM say yes Mr Abbott, whatever you say Mr Abbott

Your comments and healthy social intercourse help me remain somewhat sane.

…That morning, ABC Radio 774’s morning host Jon Faine interviewed Michael Strong again. He was even more outspoken about The Australian than he’s been before, denouncing their “campaign to discredit this organisation” with “sensationalist, unbalanced articles”…

…”"Faine should know better than to give this rogue such a platform.”— Crikey, 8 December, 2011″… (Strong)

So the Editor-in-Chief of our only national broadsheet thinks that the ABC should not be giving air time to the outgoing Director of the Office of Police Integrity, a former County Court judge, because he is “this rogue” and his organisation, in Mr Mitchell’s opinion, is “corrupt”.

Those whom Mr Mitchell disapproves of, it seems, don’t even have the right to express their views on the ABC.

And lest you think that Chris Mitchell was speaking in anger, and soon thought the better of his outburst, his bizarre remarks were repeated twice in today’s Australian – in this story by Chip Le Grand, and in the Cut and Paste column.

So the Editor in Chief of the Australian is publicly telling the ABC what to do? Why am I not shocked?

I do wish our eldest could find a soul mate, I worry about he being lonely, says she is happy though

Give it time My Say!
Don’t fret.
This was my eldest daughters wedding.
Our grandsons are from the youngest.

Was the guy dancing with his arms never going above his head while doing slow circles? If so, he’s ripped off Bez

My joke about the Office of Police Integrity used to be “Have they found any yet?”

It seems that with the big stuff they were pretty good but lower down the chain, with less high profile complaints, they were woeful, with the most incurious investigators I have ever encountered. Incapable of following a bleeding elephant through snow.