You'll foot the bill

Are you sick of how cheap groceries are? Longing for the day when the GST is expanded to include fresh food, bread and milk?

Don't you feel bad that some poor employer has to fork out for pesky penalty rates every time an employee works nights or weekends to, say – provide round the clock care for our elderly, or drive trains full of sports fans to and from footy games?

Maybe you lay awake at night fretting about how to reduce the corporate tax rate of Australia's most profitable companies?

No? Rio Tinto's CEO David Peever must have forgotten to consult with you after speaking with the leaders of Woolworths, Macquarie, McDonald's, Exxon Mobile and other CEOs to determine the Business Council of Australia's Economic Action Plan for Enduring Prosperity, released today.

Their wish list, in a nutshell:1

• No prizes for guessing their number one recommendation... business to pay less tax! The BCA is proposing to reduce the corporate tax rate from 30% to 25%.
• And who'll foot the gap? Us. The lost company tax revenue would be replaced by increasing and expanding the GST so all Australians would pay more for our basic essentials. The Grattan Institute estimates this would add another $3000 a year to average household costs.[2]
• They're proposing to slash penalty rates and reduce the minimum wage for workers, meaning you would have less money in your pocket to pay bills and feed your family.
• And homebuyers would be invited to pay even more, by introducing a new land tax on home owner-occupiers.

If the economy is going to be a key election issue, let's make sure big business doesn't get to define the terms of the debate. Ask Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott to make sure any reform benefits all Australians:

http://www.getup.org.au/at-what-cost

There's more. They've got workers' rights, university fees and the distribution of GST revenue in their sights. The CEO of McDonald's is even leading the charge to bring back the main features of WorkChoices with 'individual flexibility agreements'. [4]

It's clear the BCA's vision for "enduring prosperity" will come at a huge expense — ours. They've created the list to urge both Rudd and Abbott to commit to these reforms prior to the election, and Tony Abbott has already promised a comprehensive tax review. We need to make sure political leaders hear from us now, the ordinary Australians being asked to subsidise tax cuts for big business.

We need to use our comparative advantage — the powerful voice of our much larger movement — to pressure Rudd and Abbott to rule out measures that only look out for big business' bottom line. Click here to add your name:

http://www.getup.org.au/at-what-cost

We'll be in touch with more soon. In the meantime, the more Australians who hear about this before it's too late, the better — so please forward this email to spread the word.

Thanks for standing up for a fair economy,
the GetUp team

PS: Word on the street is that the BCA is launching the next phase of their advertising campaign in tomorrow's The Australian. You might want to check it out and see what's on the table.

[1] "BCA urges prosperity agenda," The Financial Review, July 31, 2013.
[2] "Australia Business Council wants GST extended to tax-free goods," News.com.au, July 31, 2013.
[3] "BCA wants government commitment to long-term policy," The Australian, July 31, 2013.
[4] "Pro-union workplace laws 'ridiculous,'" The Financial Review, July 30, 2013.