It’s game on as Bill Shorten struggles to save the workers from business prosperity

Crunch time for company tax cuts. The Australian, yesterday:

BHP boss Andrew Mackenzie has joined chief executives of Australia’s largest employers in calling on the Senate to pass the company tax cuts, claiming the issue is now critical to whether companies like the global mining giant invest more in the country. (He) said the tax cuts for big companies could deliver dividends to the Australian economy “within months” of being passed and these would lead to more jobs and higher wages.

But good tax cuts mysteriously turn bad when businesses become too busy. Bill Shorten, the National Press Club, January 30:

We support the tax cut for businesses up to $2 million (turnover, but) the case has not been made by this government to give companies with very large turnovers tax relief. (In many instances) the profits will be returned to foreign shareholders. There’s been (past) corporate tax cut reductions, they have not been handed to workers in increased wages.

Shorten Suite, the Opposition Leader’s media unit, Twitter, February 9:

“No wriggle room”: Turnbull government commits to taking $65 billion big business tax cuts to next election.

Game on

Shorten in the Sydney Morning Herald, February 9:

That (company tax cut) fairytale doesn’t have a happy ending. The government wants to say that I’m anti-business. I’m not anti-business. But I am pro-worker.

Except when he was pro-business tax cuts as Julia Gillard’s assistant treasurer, November 2010:

That is why we came to tax reform with a plan to broaden and strengthen our economy to preserve our reputation as a great place to invest. Like cutting the company tax rate to keep all sectors of our economy competitive in their own global markets. We should never forget that we are just one option for international investors — we have to make sure we offer the most compelling value.

When Bill was in office and used to bait, not ape, the Greens, he argued that company tax reform was indivisible, like freedom. March 2011:

Lowering the corporate rate for smaller businesses only (as the Greens propose) creates an artificial incentive for Australian businesses to downsize. In worse-case scenarios some businesses might actually lay people off to get smaller — and the size-based different tax treatment would create a glass ceiling on business workforce growth. Instead, we want a level playing field regardless of the size of the company.

Meanwhile, the ABC goes to work with your 4c. You may think Israel launched weekend strikes into Syria after an Iranian drone penetrated Israeli territory. But listen to this expert given a soft interview on yesterday’s RN Breakfast:

The view is that what the Israelis actually did has less to do with any drone than it has to do with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his wife’s legal problems in Israel — Netanyahu is being investigated for bribery — and the view here is that there was no reason for the Israelis to carry out this provocation and the only reason why it was done was because he wanted to distract attention.

More from that expert, Mohammad Marandi, professor of North American studies at Tehran University:

Every time the Syrian government wants to push back these extremists (al-Qa’ida and Islamic State on Syria’s borders) the Israelis triy to prevent them from doing so.