"MPs treating allowances like second pay packet"

[Solly]

"QUEENSLAND MPs are treating their generous taxpayer-funded electorate allowances like defacto second pay packets and keeping the cash.

And the rules State politicians have set for themselves simply encourage the practice with no requirement and little reason to spend the money on anything but themselves."

See full story by Steve Wardill here in The Courier Mail

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25530753-952,00.html

Is it time for the taxpayers to hold these pollies accountable?

How can these payments be made at the total discretion of the pollie ?

 

[Judd]

Welcome to the world of ethics, i.e. just because something may be legal does not necessarily make it morally proper.

It's akin to herd mentality in that politicians, company directors, even we little people, take a position that this is allowed, everybody who I know does it, so it must be OK.

Same situation as some of our Federal MPs who own a property in Canberra, live in it during Parliamentary sessions, yet claim an overnight allowance of $240 per day because their "home" is declared to be located somewhere in their electorate. Legal and proper from their perspective. The fact it artificially inflates their income (and is tax free) and that Canberra based MP's cannot do that escapes their attention. Yet if all these allowances were rolled up into their taxable pay packets that would have an impact, possibly unwanted from our viewpoint, of increasing their superannuation payout.

And if it was required to return unspent funds from electoral allowances, you will find that no stone will be left unturned to spend all of those funds.

You cannot legislate honesty or integrity.

Apart from instigating the Oliver Cromwell principle of abolishing Parliament, blowed if I actually know the answer to these vexing issues.

 

[Aussiejeff]

Welcome to the world of ethics, i.e. just because something may be legal does not necessarily make it morally proper.

It's akin to herd mentality in that politicians, company directors, even we little people, take a position that this is allowed, everybody who I know does it, so it must be OK.

Same situation as some of our Federal MPs who own a property in Canberra, live in it during Parliamentary sessions, yet claim an overnight allowance of $240 per day because their "home" is declared to be located somewhere in their electorate. Legal and proper from their perspective. The fact it artificially inflates their income (and is tax free) and that Canberra based MP's cannot do that escapes their attention. Yet if all these allowances were rolled up into their taxable pay packets that would have an impact, possibly unwanted from our viewpoint, of increasing their superannuation payout.

And if it was required to return unspent funds from electoral allowances, you will find that no stone will be left unturned to spend all of those funds.

You cannot legislate honesty or integrity.

Apart from instigating the Oliver Cromwell principle of abolishing Parliament, blowed if I actually know the answer to these vexing issues.

"By George, I think he has it!"

 

[noirua]

Many MPs in the UK are standing down after expense claims. Three claimed mortgage interest on a parliamentary use property and they had no mortgage. One claimed for an Island in the middle of his pond, so the ducks can shelter at night away from the foxes. A man and wife, both MPs, claimed for the same property for their expenses.

Some MPs were guilty of switching properties: Claiming expenses for work on one and the next year for the same work on another one. One MP claimed for food for his pigs. Some MPs claimed expenses for a property nearer the Houses of Parliament and it turned out the property was further away than their own home.

One MP claimed $55,000 for treating dry rot on the property. Another claimed $50,000 a year for security patrols. Yet another claimed for 22 cushions, 17 made of silk. Another claimed $2,200 for a table.

 

[Glen48]

I refuse to vote for any of them until I am happy with their performance been 10 yrs so far and I am still looking..