Dishonest advertising
BY JONATHAN SINGER
"It is hard to accept that the federal government's latest GST advertisements are anything more than political propaganda ... the television campaign is devoid of any information that could plausibly be used to justify the public expense of broadcasting it. Television viewers confused about their obligations under the new system will not gain one whit of knowledge."
These May 17 Australian editorial remarks on the latest instalment of the Howard government's publicity campaign for the GST — the "unchaining" advertisements — are a little unkind. After all, there's probably no information that the government could provide in any publicity campaign that would help convince most people the goods and services tax will be good for them. That's why the publicity campaign is all image and no substance.
The amount of money the government has allocated to its GST publicity campaign — $361.6 million — is six times more than the additional funding for tertiary education over the next four years announced in the Howard government's recent budget.
Why is the Coalition government spending so much on a non-informational publicity campaign for a tax that has already been legislated by parliament? Could it be because John Howard and treasurer Peter Costello know that this tax is being imposed against the wishes of the majority of voters?
The Coalition government spent $17 million on a publicity campaign arguing for the introduction of a GST during the last federal election campaign yet the Coalition parties received only 39% of first preference votes, while parties that campaigned against the GST received more than 50% of first preferences.
The new GST publicity campaign is actually a tacit acknowledgment by the Coalition parties that, contrary to Howard's post-election mantra, they do not have a "mandated" for the introduction of a $30 billion consumption tax. If they thought they really did have such a "mandate', why would they be subjecting us to another advertising campaign designed solely to convince us the GST will be good for everybody?
Even according to the government's own figures, price increases immediately after the GST is introduced on July 1 will be more than the increases in compensatory income tax cuts and social security payments that will be received by most employed, retired or unemployed workers and people — and that's its best case scenario. This threatens to broaden the rejection of and, possibly, lead to actions against, the government and its policies.
A May 16 media release by Senator Meg Lees, leader of the Australian Democrats, whose de facto alliance with the government ensured the GST's passage through parliament, let this cat out the bag.
According to Lees, workers pursuing GST-based wage claims would cause inflation and interest rate rises, "so it could be argued that reminding people about the need for tax reform, about GST-free food, about the tax cuts and about the increased family assistance and social security benefits is in the public interest".
Justifying the government's dishonest GST propaganda campaign has evidently become the Democrats' new tactic to "keep the bastards' honest"!