Big business slips on the bling in latest campaign to ring in SSM

Gay marriage supporters unleash the power of the Ring! The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien, July 29, 1954:

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

OK, OK, not that ring. The Australian, yesterday:

Some of the country’s biggest businesses have upped the ante in the crusade for marriage equality by asking Australians to wear a specially designed “acceptance ring” until same-sex marriage is legalised.

Accommodation provider Airbnb has released a corny YouTube video to promote the rings. Airbnb ad, yesterday:

This incomplete ring symbolises the gap in marriage equality we need to close. Until we all belong.

And everyone working at the supporting businesses gets their very own acceptance ring. The Australian, yesterday:

Qantas staff and crew would wear them … while Google Australia has also provided rings for its 1300 staff to wear.

We hate to be conspiracy theorists … but the Dark Lord, Sauron, made everyone a cool ring too. The Fellowship of the Ring, continued:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky. Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone. Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die.

Airbnb also offered acceptance rings to reporters as part of a media package. Airbnb media release, March 28:

(Airbnb) can soon provide you with the following assets under embargo … Acceptance Rings for reporters to wear on the Monday (and ongoing), showing their support for Marriage Equality.

But objective reporters should throw their acceptance rings into Mount Doom. Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring (the cinematic version), December 19, 2001:

Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands with a second darkness … he must never find it.

In other news, Treasury secretary John Fraser has been a big supporter of company tax cuts. Speaking at Senate estimates, March 1:

It is critical that we get the settings right in our tax system to promote business investment and ensure Australia remains internationally competitive.

So it was a shock when The Age economics editor Peter Martin revealed that Fraser pooh-poohed the impact of company tax cuts at a 2015 Grattan Institute event. The Age , Saturday:

“Whether the tax rate is 30 per cent or 35 per cent frankly is not as important as other issues.” (he said).

You’d think a Fairfax economics guru would get the figures right, especially when he’s quoting someone else … Fraser speaking at the Grattan Institute event in Melbourne, May 15, 2005:

Whether it’s 30 per cent or whether it’s 25 per cent (not 35 per cent like Martin wrote) frankly is not as important as other issues, governance, dispute resolution …

But it turns out Martin also left out the rest of Fraser’s comments … where he said company tax cuts did matter to Australian businesses. Oops. Fraser speaking in Melbourne, May 15, 2015:

But for Australian companies and others it’s a factor and you see that particularly when you talk to small and medium-size business it’s a factor and, for my part, I would like to see a lower corporate tax rate.