Ed, The North Coast is recognised for its high proportion of families whose household income is among the lowest in Australia. Now the smiling, smooth-talking Mike Baird, presumably supported by the ‘missing in action’ National Party, proposes increasing Australia’s GST by 50%. Whilst bemoaning the negativity of other politicians, this photogenic politician, not content with selling off our income producing ‘poles and wires’ now proposes to increase taxes by half again on everyday services, necessary items and food. And don’t trust tentative proposals not to apply the tax to some families because such exemptions would severely cut the tax revenue and be costly to apply. This follows the long-term Liberal Party plan to cut taxes for the extremely wealthy 3% and big corporations and shift the cost of services to the everyday voter. This will be done under the mantra that we overtax the wealthy and corporations and that a ‘trickle down economy’ will flourish and generate jobs growth. Unfortunately what the wealthy and the big corporations really do is bank their profits in offshore accounts or invest in jobs in India and China. We can raise the required funds for our hospitals and schools by taxing the immense profits of the big banks, cracking down on tax evasion strategies for the wealthy and the big corporations, cutting overgenerous tax benefits for landlords which make homes unaffordable, cutting the billions of subsidies to the fossil fuel industries and cutting the overgenerous superannuation tax benefits for the very wealthy put in place by Howard and Costello. Mr Baird’s smiling pot-shot at the state of political debate disguises the plot by Abbott and Truss, Baird and Grant, to rip more from the average taxpayers’ pockets. Bronwyn Bishop is probably applauding Mr Baird’s smooth performance as she plans her next overseas trip.” Carol Vernon Previous Greens candidate for Cowper and Oxley