Abba once entertained us with a song titled " Money - Money - Money - In a rich man's world ". It certainly is a fact of life that money dictates the decisions that rule our lives - and yesterday delivered several examples.
There was a deathly silence from the four major banks after the Reserve bank lowered interest rates. Every day that passes with the old rates in place delivers a treasure trove of riches to the bank's bottom line - and on past performance interest rate decisions were slow to be announced.
It seems that the whisper of the words " Super profits tax " from the Treasurer was sufficient inducement to persuade all four banks to deliver immediate rate relief to their customers.
Motorists have been having a tax holiday from traffic fines. The police are unhappy at legislative changes that reduce compensation for injuries sustained on the job in favour of enhanced rehabilitation efforts - and they have been issuing warnings in place of fines.
It is often said that the most dangerous place on the planet - is to be standing between a politician and a big bag of money !
It seems that the police got a message. Stop interfering with our cash flow - or we will block your pay claim. Suddenly the police are saying that " industrial action is a last resort " - and that they will now move to " political action ". As a result, they are again handing out fines !
The third step of this troika comes from councils. They seem to think that the coal seam gas issue is a lost battle - and they want a share of the money !
There is talk of " Gas royalties " to be applied as compensation for the costs councils will face when these gas wells are installed in their areas. Council rates are pegged and most councils are desperate for money - and here is a brand new source of commercial activity - just ripe for the plucking.
When it comes to money - the words " ethics " and " opportunity " come into collision. There is no prize for guessing which one wins !
No comments:
Post a Comment