The Australian Welfare System

[cheap]

On average every hour an amount of money is spent keeping the wheels of the Australian welfare system turning, this includes pensions, family payments, unemployment benefits and child care support (to name a few).

How many dollars per hour do you think is spent to keep the welfare wheels turning?

[TRAU BLAU]

A lot.

[GSP07R]

Going off thier budget for 2014-2015 its around 146 billion for the year.
Im sure it will be more.

[Polyal]

Right so do you have the answer cheap? Otherwise your just poking in the dark. And if you do have the answer how did you come to it?

[cheap]

I did the maths, have a go with the poll.

Maybe I should have asked for a dollar per minute or per second.

[Polyal]

Are you on Newstart? Bit of time on ya hands mate.

[jpblue1000]

about 35 percent of all hourly spending by the taxpayer or circa 16 Million 660 thousand, 666 dollars and change based on Government 2014 budget figures

From the national commission of Audit
'Around 4.6 million Australians receive an income support payment of some kind from the Australian Government in the form of a pension or allowance (27 per cent of the population aged 15 years and over):

• in 2006–07, Australian Government expenditure on the income support system was $71.6 billion, or around 6.8 per cent of GDP
• 77 per cent of Australians over the age of 65 receive income support, and 17 per cent of Australians aged 16–64 years

So not much really in the grand scheme of the economy could be less, could be more.

JP

[MDS69]

I can see this going downhill

[MercurySilver]

i really dont see the point in this poll
are we all having a guess and the answer is revealed at midnight or something??

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

i really dont see the point in this poll
are we all having a guess and the answer is revealed at midnight or something??

No Colin from MKR is going to rate the thread. His a hard **** apparently.

[Grunter]

You need to add time, to the poll, before this thread turns political or nasty, and then is locked.

I'll go for locked between 4.30pm and 5.00pm.

[vztrt]

If people are actually interested.

Welfare, social security expenditure
Figures for 2014-15

The aged – 38.7 per cent
Families with children – 25.6 per cent
People with disabilities – 18.7 per cent
Unemployed and the sick – 7.2 per cent
Veterans and dependents – 4.6 per cent
General administration – 2.8 per cent
Other expenses – 2.5 per cent

Figures: Department of Finance

Hopefully the simplification of the figures will make the costs associated with welfare lower and more simple (not really sure how complex it is).

[xxx000]

it's a political thread from the start imho

designed to shock, then blame those on welfare for much of Australia's perceived problems and one side of politics will claim they'll 'crack down'

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by xxx000

it's a political thread from the start imho

designed to shock, then blame those on welfare for much of Australia's perceived problems and one side of politics will claim they'll 'crack down'

Agreed.

But I choose to pay taxes to support these systems in the belief that it benefits our society in the long run. Sure you get some people who will rort it and any system you try and implement. But we as a society choose to have it so you cant complain about it unless your prepared to march.

Important to have it reviewed though and change the thresholds if needed.

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

Heaps, but they give most of it back if they smoke and drink.

LOL

[cheap]

Originally Posted by xxx000

it's a political thread from the start imho

designed to shock, then blame those on welfare for much of Australia's perceived problems and one side of politics will claim they'll 'crack down'

Reading your comment and replying took about 30 seconds, during the same 30 seconds, welfare system cost you/me/everyone nearly $140,000.

Since posting the thread roughly 7200 seconds ago the welfare system has cost you/me/everyone over $33,000,000 ($33 million dollars)

You are correct when you say it is a shock!

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by cheap

Reading your comment and replying took about 30 seconds, during the same 30 seconds, welfare system cost you/me/everyone nearly $140,000.

Since posting the thread roughly 7200 seconds ago the welfare system has cost you/me/everyone over $33,000,000 ($33 million dollars)

You are correct when you say it is a shock!

Everyone?
It doesn't cost the wealthy much as they pay little or no tax and hence don't contribute

[cheap]

Originally Posted by xxx000

Everyone?
It doesn't cost the wealthy much as they pay little or no tax and hence don't contribute

Really, the rich pay little or no tax?

Can you provide evidence, every member here would dearly love to know how to pay little or no tax.

Another 30 seconds added to the welfare cost...

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by cheap

Really, the rich pay little or no tax?

Can you provide evidence, every member here would dearly love to know how to pay little or no tax.

Another 30 seconds added to the welfare cost...

Yes that is correct. I personally know 2 multi millionaires that pay maybe $1000 in tax a year. They have multiple residential properties, commercial properties, and business interests.

Its quite easy to do. However you need to be able to make the money in the first place (a big profit,) which is the hard part, then offset it with expences, that will generate another big income. Annnnnnd, rinse and repeat. So thats what they do. Its self perpetuating. But here is the thing, you must be a business. Tax is setup to favor big business, it pains you as an individual. However, when your in business, tax becomes a beautiful thing. You start acquiring assets effectively for free.

One of these multimillionaires is a previous employer of mine, he took a couple of us under his wing an taught us a few things, one is how normal people think, and how rich people think. And the mindset is completely different. They dont look at cars as desirable objects. Its considered a liability. There are two types of possessions:

Asset: An asset is an object, house, business, etc, is something that returns money on a regular basis, weekly, monthly yearly, and appreciates in value. Cash in the bank. Not just goes up in value, it gets you money. (So a GTHO PIII is NOT an asset!)

Liability: Liability is something that costs you money, your own personal home (yes you read that right) your car, phone, couch, fridge, TV, dog, pretty much everything. Except if its earning you money.

The other thing he taught me is:

"Your first million is the hardest, but once you crack it, it they roll in"

The other factor is to make your financial liabilities not your problem, but the banks problem no, were are not talking about a 1m loan, we are talking at least $10m, 20, 30 or $100m + of mortgages. How do you think that Donald Trump came back from being hundreds of million dollars in debt, to being a multi billionare? The banks werent prepared to lose all that money. They lent him more. A bank can take a 1m hit, but when we start talking 20m they get jittery and start thinking, "well, how do we get some money back". Its no longer your problem but theirs.

Unfortunately this is beyond most peoples thinking, and hence why most people pay tax and the rich don't. You may think this is unfair, however, its thought that its more important to keep big businesses employing people rather than taxing the hell out of them, to do what with that money? Hand it out to people? And what would they do with it? Buy liabilities, and increase their debt.....

While you may think well "<insert name here> has a private plane, TAX HIM!" Why? he needs that plane, for business, employing people, yes he uses it for himself. What do you need a plane for? Can you park it in the driveway? I rather doubt it.

I recommend the book 'Rich dad, Poor dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. You can pick it up on ebay really cheap, it was number 1 on the NYT bestsellers, and his follow up book, were on the list at the same time. Everyone needs to read it. It explains in more detail what Ive only just brushed the surface on.

[CoupeKing]

Heaps, but they give most of it back if they smoke and drink.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

Heaps, but they give most of it back if they smoke and drink.

Is that what pensioners do all day?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Is that what pensioners do all day?

Nah, they do pokies too, he forgot to mention that to complete the trifecta

[xxx000]

How about a better poll

How much per hour do all our politicians, state and federal, and their staff cost us?

[mcnews]

So the second biggest bill after old age pensioners is for middle class family welfare where everyone else gets to pay for people pumping out kids?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by mcnews

So the second biggest bill after old age pensioners is for middle class family welfare where everyone else gets to pay for people pumping out kids?

Look at it this way. If you cut $15 off every payment (per fortnight) the government would save 2 billion dollars.

[revcore]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Look at it this way. If you cut $15 off every payment (per fortnight) the government would save 2 billion dollars.

As it stands at present many pensioners are struggling to survive as it is without taking $15 off the fortnightly payment.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by revcore

As it stands at present many pensioners are struggling to survive as it is without taking $15 off the fortnightly payment.

There's the problem. The age pension will be getting bigger each year. Besides efficiency improvements there isn't all that much saving in it.

Maybe when the carbon tax was removed all the tax breaks that went with it should have been removed as well.

[revcore]

Originally Posted by vztrt

There's the problem. The age pension will be getting bigger each year. Besides efficiency improvements there isn't all that much saving in it.

Maybe when the carbon tax was removed all the tax breaks that went with it should have been removed as well.

Yep...An ageing population is where alot of the tax payers hard earned will be going. Probably not alot the government can do about that. Having said that, As previously mentioned by others, If alot of pensioners didn't blow their payments on the pokies etc then they could support themselves far better without seeking additional handouts.

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by vztrt

There's the problem. The age pension will be getting bigger each year. Besides efficiency improvements there isn't all that much saving in it. .

Easy fix with this growing problem.....

Compulsory euthanasia!...
Just a matter of deciding what age to knock us oldies on the head at?...
60??... 65?? .. 70???
I mean, all we are is a friggin burden on society in old age!

[blueoval]

.....

[revcore]

Originally Posted by blueoval

.....

I did say "Many" not All.