in reference to OT http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002ONvNo case for dropping GST from tampons, says PM

Source: AAP | Published: Monday January 24, 8:17 AM

No case had been made for dropping the GST from tampons, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Feminine hygiene products were now tax exempt but from July 1 would be subject to the 10 per cent GST and this would not be reconsidered, Howard said.

"I don't believe there's any case for doing that," he told the Nine Network.

"I think the GST should cover just about everything."

The Australian Democrats agreed only to pass the GST if certain items were taken out of the GST system.

Howard said if tampons were made GST-free then the way would be open for many other items to be exempted and the system would unravel.

"People have argued if you don't have a GST on condoms why should you have it on tampons. My argument is that initially we didn't want that anomaly," Howard said.

"If you agree to take it off, say, tampons, then within a few days somebody will mount a case to take it off something else.

"The whole essence of a goods and services tax remember is to have it on effectively everything at a relatively low rate so you can be rid of the very, very high rates on some things which distort economic choice.

"Of course if you look at tampons in isolation ... you can mount an argument to take the tax off it. I can mount an argument to take the tax off children's clothes. I can mount an argument to take the tax off old people's clothes.

"I can mount an argument for a whole lot of things but we've had that argument and if you start doing that you will have no GST in the end and the whole system will begin to unravel."

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0001/24/A42396-2000Jan24.shtml

-- boop (leafyspurge@hotmail.com), January 23, 2000

Answers

Boop,

How does this effect men that have to stand in line at the grocery store to buy them. Will we be free of this pestilence? If not, whats your point?

-- Infidel (Barbarians@thegate.net), January 23, 2000.

Of course, if women switched to "The Keeper," http://www.keeper.com/ They wouldn't have this problem.

-- (stillawake@myhouse.com), January 23, 2000.

No comment. It's just too easy. (It probably is more than I ever wanted to know about GST -- but the part about taxing people's clothes off is an interesting concept.)

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), January 23, 2000.

Infidel,

there is no point.

-- boop (leafyspurge@hotmail.com), January 23, 2000.

I really don't think they should have tacks on them...sounds painful!

-- Rather Not (Lookatem@isolation.com), January 23, 2000.

Above post by Commander of the PMS Amazon Brigade. Really Daaaaling, take a little Evening Prinrose and check back in a few days. Sometimes it's better to check in to La Quinta.

-- Whata (Bitch@ ThisTime.com), January 24, 2000.