Stimulus package

We have received a number of different emails regarding the Stimulus package and who will be receiving it. An interesting and most would say justified complaint from Patrick below!

Hello,

My name is Patrick, I am a 61 year old self funded retiree.

Background - For the 2007-08 tax year, after completing my tax return online (etax) I was advised that I didn’t need to lodge a tax return. I did print off and submit to the ATO the ‘Non-lodgement’ advice form.

Not being a pensioner I didn’t receive anything from the December ’08 stimulus package, that’s fine, I didn’t expect to. However, from what I can gather I will not be entitled to any funds from the current stimulus package either, because I didn’t need to lodge a return for 07-08 and my tax liability for the year was nil.

I feel this is rather unfair. For the whole of last year I lived off my own savings and investments, the low earnings from which didn’t put me in a taxable bracket. I have paid tax all my life, and did pay a small amount of tax during the year on a very minimal return through superannuation. This year (2008-09) I will need to pay tax on some investments that have recently matured. I am avoiding touching my super at the moment, I don’t want to consolidate the losses that have occurred there. I am ever hopeful that the super funds will recover!!!

Thank you for your time………….

Best regards
Patrick

2 comments

Hi Patrick - it's the pits....It is the same old same old try over many many years to do the right thing and you get kicked in the teeth with burocracy. You are saving the Government like many others of us heaps of money but they will not see this and give an inch whereas they should be trying desperately to help those who help themselves with just a little for goodness sake. You and many of us are entitled surely....

It often seems it would have been better to go on all the o'seas holidays and have all the best possessions as saving puts many older generation people behind the 8 ball.

In some cases those who struggle to Insure are also worse off than those spent the money on themselves.

It is to say the least annoying and many understand just how you are feeling.

All the best.

Phyl.

Patrick - you are handicaped by your age a bit - my father, who is 96 and has been a self-funded retiree for over 30 years now, did get the seniors bonus last year simply because he is over 65. He does not get any pension so it was purely age-based. He certainly did not need the bonus, it is like a drop in the bucket to him. You are in a rather unfortunate position!

The current stimulus package is rather weird I must say - for example, a relative who is single and earns around $42,000, will get the bonus. This relative does not have a mortgage or any outstanding debts at all and certainly does not need the bonus - in fact it is about the amount this relative had to pay back to the tax debt, so there is no real gain anyway.

2 comments



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