THE LEFT’S CORE CONSTITUENCY

Tax slug on poor singles (Elizabeth Colman, The Australian, January 14, 2006)

A national underclass of single low-income earners will pay for Peter Costello's tax relief for families at the May budget as poor and middle-income workers face a growing tax burden despite the budget surplus windfall.

Families earning up to $50,000 a year, who pay no net tax after receiving family benefits, have again been earmarked for federal government help in the form of tax relief and other family assistance payments.

But research commissioned by the Opposition shows a single worker on $30,000 will pay $9720 total tax in the next two years, while a family earning $53,000 effectively pays nothing. [...]

Dr Emerson, (Labor MP–ed) who supports giving family tax benefits to low-and middle-income families, said the figures revealed the exploding welfare state was being paid for by single low- and middle-income earners.

"A decade from now, taxpayers will have to cough up an extra $27billion ... to feed the ravenous welfare monster created by the Howard Government," Dr Emerson said. "It's only a matter of time before taxpayers without children organise a tax revolt."

Bring ‘em on.