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Good morning all,
The article below demonstrates clearly that our
govenment's thrust toward social justice is well on track.
Enjoy, rgds John
The Australian | |
 Now GST has the blind in its sights 27feb00 GUIDE dog owners will be charged up to $100 extra a year under the GST after the Government stripped them of sales-tax exemptions. Blind people currently claim a rebate from the 22 per cent wholesale sales tax on all the dog food they buy for their guide dogs. But the exemptions, granted in 1981 by then-treasurer John Howard, will be withdrawn under the GST. A Tax Office ruling obtained by The Sunday Telegraph says guide dog owners will have to pay the full 10 per cent GST. The ruling will add almost $7 to the cost of a 15kg bag of Pal Professional dog food for a blind person. Guide dog owners currently spend about $1000 a year feeding their dogs. They receive the dog free from the Guide Dog Association in their State but must pay for the care of it themselves. The GST ruling will also affect hundreds of families who keep guide- dog puppies to socialise them before they are properly trained. NSW Guide Dog Association chief executive Joe Finucane said the association had protested about the GST slug. "It is now apparent that guide dog users will have to pay GST on food for their dog, whereas to date they are afforded a wholesale tax exemption," he said. "Guide dog users, like the rest of us, will now unfortunately be caught up in this new government form of taxation. "The Guide Dog Association will continue to ensure that any of our clients, who may have financial difficulty caring for their Guide Dog, will be properly catered for." |