This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
$0/
(min cost $0)
Login or signup to continue reading
So Treasurer Jim Chalmers has promised to remove the "nuisance" tariffs on a range of imported goods, from toothbrushes to shoes to fishing reels and fridges.
Vestiges of the bad old days of protectionism, these tariffs are nuisances because they drown importers in paperwork but pull in very little revenue. Fair enough. Get rid of them.
But while you're about it, draw up a list of nuisance imports most of us would like to see taxed out of existence.
Let's start with those battleship-sized American pick-up trucks - don't listen to anyone claiming they're utes - which have infested our roads in recent years. Impossible to see around at intersections, menaces in the Bunnings car park, unwelcome intruders in the rear-view mirror, these thirsty tough-guy chariots have no place on Australian roads. Whatever tax applied to them now ought to be tripled for all the inconvenience, fear and loathing they cause other motorists.
Not quite a tariff but the people of Paris last year voted overwhelmingly to introduce higher parking fees for bigger vehicles that were clogging up their streets. It could work here but in our cities, it's also the smallest vehicles causing grief. E-scooters ridden recklessly on footpaths are bad enough but the proliferation of those garish hire bikes dumped in streets, parks and waterways are certainly in line for higher taxes.
And with the gig economy - also an import - have come swarms of delivery drivers weaving in and out of traffic. Big city driving was troublesome enough without them. Now, it's becoming like chancing your arm in Bangkok, all because we've grown too lazy to pick up our own pad kee mao chicken.
How about a higher tariff on jet skis? These imported waterborne dirt bikes have infested our estuaries and inshore waters, prompting authorities to crack down on hooning. In 2022, Sea-Doo, one of the big North American manufacturers, flooded Australia with these things because production issues meant the US season was missed and there was an oversupply. Lucky us.
Next on the list, toxic social media platforms. We know they're addictive, damage young minds, spread misinformation and give scammers a free ride, yet these imports have crossed our borders with impunity. There's scant recompense for the costs that come with them. A mental health levy is long overdue, to help fix the teens and young adults who've swapped friendship for screen time and are stuck in the rut of acute loneliness.
Tax the fast food chains too. These American imports have been a disaster, fuelling obesity and hooking large swathes of the population on sugar, salt and industrial trans fats. And we're not fooled by the one big chain that claims to be Australian. We know Hungry Jack's is a US Burger King franchise. Burger King couldn't use its own name in Australia because it had already been trademarked here.
Crappy instructions with imported flat packs ought to be in the government's sights as well. I'm all for inexpensive, self-assembled furniture but only when it comes with clear instructions. A tariff on indecipherable assembly guides is long overdue.
Targeted tariffs might deliver a cultural dividend as well. Imagine if those streaming services were forced through taxation to not only deliver more Australian content but dialogue viewers could actually understand without resorting to subtitles. A tax on incomprehensible mumbling would go some way to achieving this. A tax on British repeats would help too. There's only so much Vera and Death In Paradise one can cop. If a tariff applied to TV imports results in fresh content, I'm all for it.
Remove the nuisance tariffs by all means but don't forget to tax the nuisances while you're about it.
HAVE YOUR SAY: What are some of the modern nuisance imports you'd like to see taxed to limit their proliferation? Should drivers of larger vehicles pay more for parking? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Claims electric cars only suit inner-city drivers have been overtaken by new data showing outer city suburbs have become hotspots for the transport technology. Analysis of Tesla and BYD car sales released by the Electric Vehicle Council showed outer metropolitan suburbs are leading the race go to electric, accounting for more than two in every five battery-powered cars sold, followed by areas closer to cities.
- The Victorian government is being urged to reassess it stance on pill testing following the death of a man from a suspected drug overdose at a weekend music festival. The 23-year-old was airlifted in a critical condition to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne from Mafeking near Ararat, in the state's southwest, in the early hours of Sunday but later died.
- If voting follows recent opinion polls, neither of the two major parties contesting the upcoming Tasmanian election will have the required 18 seats to form majority government. Labor has just 26 per cent of voter support, with the Liberals on 39, according to a survey of 1000 people in February.
THEY SAID IT: "Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities." - Lewis Mumford
YOU SAID IT: Agonising over whether Sam Kerr made a racist comment misses the point. She allegedly chundered in a cab after a night out, which is not a good look for a national hero.
Janet writes: "'Stupid white bastard'. As we would say as kids, 'Takes one to know one.' We would also chant 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.' Takes two to tango. But Kerr's alleged behaviour is inexcusable as one human being to another, let alone as a so-called hero."
"Chundering, I love that word," writes Lee. "It is so descriptive. Having a chunder in a cab is disgusting, refusing to pay to get it cleaned is just the pits. Honestly, she can afford to clean up after herself or hire someone to do it. As for calling someone a stupid bastard - I've been known to use those words but usually I put old in there. In a country where the dominant group is white, they are everywhere to be seen and considered by some to be the majority, I don't think pointing it out is a problem. I think Sam's other behaviour is what we should be talking about and not letting her get away with."
Elizabeth writes: "Sam Kerr's behaviour was not only disappointing but inexcusable. No, we didn't cut Barnaby any slack, but neither did we threaten him with jail. A heavy fine and an embarrassing public apology in addition to the loss of sponsorships would have been appropriate response. With the British economy in such a parlous state, and the scarcity of police resources, I cannot fathom why they would waste court and police time on this. It's taken them a year to get around to this. Surely they have better things to do."
"What I cannot understand is: if what has been alleged against Sam Kerr in the UK is a criminal offence why has it taken some 12 months for charges to be laid?" asks Peter.
Judith writes: "In my not-so-humble opinion, Sam Kerr's alleged behaviour was appalling. Chucking up in a taxi is disgusting. She should have immediately apologised profusely to the cabbie and offered to pay for cleaning and compensation for lost income while the cab was off the road. Insulting a copper is, at best, unwise. Her behaviour was arrogant, entitled and totally out of order."
"'Stupid old bastard' was shouted at me by a dog owner when I photographed a dog off leash in a dog-forbidden area," writes Jan. "I used that comment when speaking at a council meeting and stated, 'Some of you will agree I'm stupid. We all agree I'm old. However, her use of the word "bastard" shows she doesn't have the correct grasp of the English language.' It raised some laughter! In the present situation, I've never been drunk. I've never been sick in a taxi. I wouldn't use the language supposedly used. If someone else had called out 'stupid black bastard', condemnation would be rife. For an Australian representative, this appears an accumulation of negative behaviours - drunk, sick, refusal to compensate for cleaning, negative remark. No matter what level of success in one aspect, these are all things we shouldn't see from anyone."
Steve writes: "Thank you! I have been waiting to see if anyone can see the actual situation going on. Yes, you are right, if you throw up in a taxi you should pay to clean it up. As for the racism component of the event, change the word white to black and see what the furore becomes. Fame and popularity seems to allow far too much leeway in this case."
"Congratulations on cutting through the sanctimonious slop that has been dished up by major media outlets in defence of the indefensible actions of Sam Kerr when compared with the gleeful treatment of similar transgressors," writes Grant. "The attempts to mitigate and/or justify what transpired have been pathetic."
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Donald Low
Mort Laitner
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
Michael Kwet
visit website
