Submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Scrutiny of New Taxes

As a result of interventionist policies built up over many years, many functions undertaken by the federal public service provide negative value-added services. These entail costs to businesses and individuals in responding to them, diversion of resources to accommodate their requirements and the effect of them in displacing commercial activities where such activities perform useful tasks.

The discriminatory taxes on tobacco, alcohol and gambling fall particularly heavily on poorer people, on average, those having the lowest fifth of income levels pay some $15 per week in taxes on these goods and services