Comments on: Fruit picking was tough … and then came tax http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/fruit-picking-was-tough-and-then-came-tax/ now with extra source Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:49:16 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: sponge boy http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/fruit-picking-was-tough-and-then-came-tax/#comment-20974 sponge boy Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-20974 Paying them a fair wage in the first place, so that they pay tax and qualify for Medicare etc, and providing them with a safe workplace would be an even better idea. Paying them a fair wage in the first place, so that they pay tax and qualify for Medicare etc, and providing them with a safe workplace would be an even better idea.

]]> By: Emmjay http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/fruit-picking-was-tough-and-then-came-tax/#comment-20975 Emmjay Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-20975 Because no unionist was ever going to lump 40 tonnes and hand a cent to Malcolm Fraser and Johhny Howard - and so there was no labour done under those circumstances. There was a bit of tax paid - but not much. Since the Commonwealth scholarship was so shit, I'd say we had a fair deal all up.<br /><br />But most of the blokes pissed the day's wages up at the pub and gambled the rest on the doggies - so the government got their taxes back that way.<br /><br />No Union ticket - no work. But keeping the subs current was another matter. We had a cockatoo. When the Union rep was spotted, everyone headed for the hills.<br /><br />I guess you are right though. The solution is a fair pay for a fair day's work and a tax system that recognises that farmers generally can't pay much, often have no crop to pick and the pickers have no job security and no permanent roof over their heads. Tax the mining companies and get off the picker's backs. Because no unionist was ever going to lump 40 tonnes and hand a cent to Malcolm Fraser and Johhny Howard - and so there was no labour done under those circumstances. There was a bit of tax paid - but not much. Since the Commonwealth scholarship was so shit, I’d say we had a fair deal all up.

But most of the blokes pissed the day’s wages up at the pub and gambled the rest on the doggies - so the government got their taxes back that way.

No Union ticket - no work. But keeping the subs current was another matter. We had a cockatoo. When the Union rep was spotted, everyone headed for the hills.

I guess you are right though. The solution is a fair pay for a fair day’s work and a tax system that recognises that farmers generally can’t pay much, often have no crop to pick and the pickers have no job security and no permanent roof over their heads. Tax the mining companies and get off the picker’s backs.

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