Weekly Australia Hottest News

RIO TINTO Shares Australia Super Profit Tax

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:06:40 +0000

Rio Tinto today warned the new resources tax announced by the Federal Government could erode Australia’s competitiveness, severely curtail investment and limit jobs growth. Rio managing director Australia David Peever said the final design and implementation of the additional resources tax was crucial to ensuring unintended consequences didn’t filter through to other sectors of the national economy.

Ratings agency Fitch says the federal government’s suggested mining super profits tax won’t trigger a downgrade for resource giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. ‘’Fitch doesn’t anticipate any downgrades solely as a result of the potential implementation of this new tax'’ said Fitch corporate ratings senior director Julian Crush in a statement. Fitch continues to rate BHP ‘’A+/stable'’ and Rio Tinto ‘’A-/stable'’.

“We are concerned about the inclusion of existing operations and the apparently arbitrary way the new resources tax was set at 40 per cent. Taxing 40 per cent of profits over the long-term bond rate, together with corporation tax, would make the Australian minerals sector the highest taxed in the world, seriously eroding competitiveness,” Mr Peever said.

Mr Peever rejected suggestions that the Australian community was not extracting a fair return from the growth in the mining sector, noting the industry already pays more tax than other parts of the economy.

“All Australians benefit from a strong mining sector. In the same way all Australians are affected by measures that hurt the mining sector. Australia was saved from the worst of the GFC by the strength of the resources sector, but the same industry is now being portrayed by the Government as not paying its way.

Rio, like other mining companies, continues to deliver a wide range of local and regional community benefits that are not recognised in the basic taxation statistics. Investments in local infrastructure and agreements made with indigenous communities, for example, are provided on top of mining royalties and company taxes. Riotinto will continue to keep its shareholders and customers informed about issues of concern regarding particular aspects of the Government’s tax proposals, Mr Peever said.

“Rio Tinto is not opposed to tax reform. We support genuine tax reform that protects against sovereign risk, improves the competitiveness of the resources sector as an investment destination and promotes economic growth,” he said.

Analysts also agreed a shift to the US dollar would create further troubles for Australian miners by making their products more expensive on global markets.

Costco Discount coupon

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:27:33 +0000

Working with their suppliers, costco are able to give you even more big saving on products you use every day. Enjoy Costco membership by using this costco discount voucher!

How to use this cosco discount coupon:

1. You must be a current Costco member to redeem these coupons.

2. Be sure to bring these coupons with you when you visit Costco February 8 through February 21.Replacement coupons may not be available.

3. The coupons are valid only for the dates shown, based on agreements with our manufacturers.

4. Rain checks will be available.

5. Offers are only valid at the Costco Docklands warehouse.

Savings valid only at the Dockland Costco February 8 through February 21, 2010

Enjoy more than $400 in savings inside!

Costco coupon

Ikea Voucher Free Bonus 10%

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:24:23 +0000

For every Gift Card purchased you will receive an additional IKEA Gift Card to the value of 10% of the purchase price.

To be eligible to claim, you must purchase an IKEA Gift Card at IKEA Homebush Bay Drive, IKEA Richmond or IKEA Logan.

Terms and Conditions
Included in the offer are IKEA Gift Cards only and the promotion is valid only while stocks last.

You will qualify for this offer when you purchase a Gift Card from cashier at the check- outs or via the Express check-outs during the Offer Period only.

For every IKEA Gift Card purchased in one single qualifying transaction, you will be eligible to claim a second Gift Card validated with an amount 10% of the initial IKEA Gift Card purchase. For example, if you purchase a Gift Card for $150, you will be eligible to claim a second IKEA Gift Card for the value of $15. To claim your Ikeas Gift Card(s), simply request the offer from the Cashier during your initial Gift Card purchase or, where purchasing a Gift Card through the Express Check-outs, present your receipt to the Attendant to redeem your additional Gift Card/s.

The Promoter reserves the right to withdraw the promotion at any time during the offer period.

The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of claims and to disqualify any claimant who tampers with the claim process or who submits a claim that is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
All claims will be subject to the Promoter’s validation and verification checks. Promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The consumer will qualify for this offer if he/she requests the offer from the Cashier during the initial Gift Card purchase or, where purchasing a Gift Card through the Express Check-outs, presents the receipt and pre-purchased Gift Card to a Cashier at the “All Payments” cash register. Each purchase receipt(s) can only be submitted for a claim once immediately on the day of purchase.

The additional IKEA 10% Gift Card will be issued at the time of the initial Gift Card purchase only, once the validity of the claim has been verified.

The Gift Card may be used for any subsequent purchases at any IKEA stores in NSW, QLD and VIC only.

To be eligible to claim you must purchase an IKEA Gift Card at IKEA Homebush Bay Drive (New South Wales), IKEA Richmond (Victoria) or IKEA Logan (Queensland), between 14th December 2009 and 24th December 2009 (“Offer Period”), or while stocks last.

CBD Cheap Car Park Secure Parking

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:27:57 +0000

With the Christmas break just around the corner, Secure Parking is making a visit to the city a cost effective and enjoyable family day out. Get unlimited CBD parking for less than $3 per day.

Don’t sweat it out in Melbourne this summer when you can park in a selected CBD car park for less than $3 per day with a Secure Parking Summer Season Pass. The Summer Pass gives you 24/7 access so it’s perfect for work, shopping and play.

Available at selected car parks across Melbourne CBD.
Participating Car parks
Flindersgate, 172 Flinders Street
Parkade, 34-60 Little Collins Street
Cobb & Co, 380 Lonsdale Street
522 Flinders Lane
376 Flinders Street

Terms and conditions: $99 Summer Season Pass prices valid between 20/12/2009 and 23/1/2010. Pass expires at 23:59 AEST on 23/1/10. Not available to existing monthly parkers. Available only at selected Secure Parking car parks. Subject to availability. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other Secure Parking offer.

Call 1300 727 483 to beat the heat this summer.

Earn 250 Bonus Frequent Flyer Points Woolworths Rewards Card

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:19:37 +0000

Link your registered Woolworths Everyday Rewards card to your Qantas Frequent Flyer membership at the Everyday Rewards website between 26 October and 24 December 2009, and you will get 250 bonus Qantas Frequent Flyer points.

You can also earn 1 point per dollar spent over $30* spent in one transaction at Woolworths/Safeway Supermarkets and BWS stores (excluding Tasmania) and BIG W stores. You can earn 1 point per dollar spent over $50* in one transaction at Dick Smith and Tandy stores (excluding franchisee and resellers stores). Redeem your points for Award flights on Qantas, Jetstar or 23 airline partners and for over 1,000 items including Wolworths Gift Cards in the online Qantas Frequent Flyer store.

Once you have registered your Everyday Rewards card you also can track your fuel savings offers.
It’s now even easier for you to redeem your fuel saving offers - by storing them conveniently on your Everyday Rewards card.

• Present your Everyday Reward card in a Woolworths or Safeway Supermarket and Liquor (excluding Tasmania) or BIG W store and when you spend the advertised qualifying amount in a single transaction your fuel saving offer will be electronically loaded onto your woolworthes everyday rewards card.

• Simply present your woolie Everyday Rewards card before paying for your fuel at any participating CALTEX woolwoths or CALTEX SAFEWAY co-branded outlets. Your stored fuel e voucher will automatically be deducted from the price of your fuel.

Free Public Transport Melbourne Metlink

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:38:10 +0000

Free travel for the festive season

Public transport travel across the state will be free on Christmas Day and after 6pm on New Year’s Eve.

Free travel tickets also applies to V/Line services arriving at their destination after 6pm on New Year’s Eve and the first service leaving Melbourne to every regional destination on 1 January 2010.

Metropolitan customers and regional town bus customers who accidentally purchase or validate tickets on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve will not be entitled to a refund. V/Line customers who accidentally purchase tickets are entitled to a refund.

With metropolitan public transport services running all night on New Year’s Eve, party-goers will not have to cut their celebrations short or rush to catch the last train or tram home.

You can take your time heading to your station or stop instead of getting caught in a crowd.

On free travel days metropolitan ticket barriers will be open at all stations for you.

Aria Award Australia 2009

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:28:19 +0000

Australia Aria Awards 2009 Winners:

Album of the Year: Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)

Single of the Year: Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)

Breakthrough Artist Album: Ladyhawke, Ladyhawke (Modular Recordings)

Breakthrough Artist Single: Ladyhawke, My Delirium (Modular Recordings)

Best Group: Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)

Best Female Artist: Sarah Blasko, As Day Follows Night (Dew Process)

Best Male Artist: Daniel Merriweather, Love & War (Universal Music Australia)

Best Rock Album: AC/DC, Black Ice (Albert Productions/Sony Music Entertainment)

Best Pop Release: Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream (Capitol/EMI Music Australia)

Best Urban Release: Hilltop Hoods, State of the Art (Golden Era/Universal Music Australia)

Best Dance Release: The Presets, Talk Like That (Modular Recordings)

Best Blues & Roots Album: C.W. Stoneking, Jungle Blues (King Hokum Records/Shock)

Best Country Album: Troy Cassar-Daley, I Love This Place (Liberation Music)

Best Independent Release: Bertie Blackman, Secrets and Lies (Forum 5/MGM)

Best Adult Contemporary Album: Josh Pyke, Chimneys Afire (Ivy League Records)

Best DVD: Sia, TV is my Parent (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

Best Childrens Album: The Wiggles, The Wiggles Go Bananas! (ABC Music)

Best Comedy Release: Hamish and Andy, Unessential Listening (Roadshow Music/Sony Music Entertainment)

Highest Selling Single: Jessica Mauboy, Running Back (Sony)

Highest Selling Album: AC/DC, Black Ice (Albert Productions/Sony Music Entertainment)

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Discount

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:05:17 +0000

Buy Microsoft Windows 7 Professional UPGRADE (32-bit & 64-bit)
For $49.95

Windows 7 Professional includes all the Home Premium features you love and the business features your work demands. In addition, you can connect to your school network easily using the domain join feature. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home network.

To buy this new Microsoft windows 7 Professional :

You must have a valid email address at one of the educational institutions
AND
You must be a student enrolled at or be a staff member actively employed by one of these qualified institutions in Australia.

You can buy window 7 from this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/itsnotcheating/default.aspx

Sydney Chinese Garden Free Entry

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:29:54 +0000

To celebrate Darling Harbour 21st anniversary celebrations, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority will open the doors to the Sydney Chinese Gardens of Friendship for FREE on Sunday 25 October 2009.

The Open Day will commemorate the Garden’s anniversary and the close bond which was forged between the local Chinese community and Sydney’s sister city Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China to share their heritage in Australia through a garden of friendship. The Garden, designed and built by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners, opened in 1988 as part of Australia’s Bicentenary. The Garden is one of the few traditional public Chinese gardens created outside Asia that offers a rare opportunity to experience century-old traditions of Chinese landscaping, architecture and garden design.

Chinese Garden Costume Hire Celebrate the Gardens heritage with friends and family on this special FREE Open Day. Explore the Garden’s hidden pathways, enchanting pavilions, waterfalls and lakes, and relax over Chinese tea at the Garden teahouse.

Simply arrive at the Gardens, where you will be allowed free entry. Please consider that there may be many visitors coming to the Garden on this day and there may be a short wait to enter.

Date: Sunday 25 October 2009
Time: 09.30 AM - 05.30 PM
Cost: FREE
For more information: 9240 8888

Claiming Medical Expenses on Tax

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:06:47 +0000

Do You know that you can claim medical expenses from your tax , as long as the total out of pocket expenses is more than $1500 in a financial year?

You can claim a tax offset of 20% of your net medical expenses over $1,500, and You can only claim medical expenses for those of your dependants who were Australian residents for tax purposes. For your information, Net medical expenses are the medical expenses you have paid less any refunds you got, or could get, from Medicare or a private health insurer.

The medical expenses must be for:

you

your spouse – married or de facto – regardless of their income

your children who were aged under 21 years, including adopted and stepchildren, regardless of their income

any other child aged under 21 years – not a student – whom you maintained and whose separate net income (SNI) was less than $1,786 for the first child and less than $1,410 for the second child and any subsequent children.

a student aged under 25 years whom you maintained and whose SNI was less than $1,786

a child housekeeper, but only if you can claim a tax offset for them.

an invalid relative, parent or spouse’s parent, but only if you can claim a dependant tax offset.

Medical expenses which qualify for the tax offset also include payments:

to opticians or optometrists, including for the cost of prescription spectacles or contact lenses

to dentists, orthodontists or registered dental mechanics

to a carer who looks after a person who is blind or permanently confined to a bed or wheelchair

for therapeutic treatment under the direction of a doctor

for artificial limbs or eyes and hearing aids

for maintaining a properly trained dog for guiding or assisting people with a disability (but not for social therapy)

for laser eye surgery, and

for medical aids prescribed by a doctor

for treatment under an in-vitro fertilisation program.

Medical Expenses which do not qualify for the tax offset include payments made for:

cosmetic operations for which a Medicare benefit is not payable

dental services or treatment that are solely cosmetic

therapeutic treatment where the patient is not formally referred by a doctor – a mere suggestion or recommendation by a doctor to the patient is not enough for the treatment to qualify; the patient must be referred to a particular person for specific treatment

chemist-type items – such as tablets for pain relief – purchased in retail outlets or health food stores

inoculations for overseas travel

non-prescribed vitamins or health foods

travel or accommodation expenses associated with medical treatment

contributions to a private health insurer

purchases from a chemist that are not related to an illness or operation

life insurance medical examinations

ambulance charges and subscriptions, and

funeral expenses.

What you need to Claim Tax on medical Expenses?

Details of the medical expenses you can claim

Details of refunds you received, or are entitled to receive, from Medicare or a private health insurer.

To help you work out what you can claim for medical expenses you paid in 2008–09, you can ask for an itemised statement from:

Medicare

your private health insurer

chemists where you had prescriptions filled.

Please confirm with your accountant before you lodge your tax return to make sure above information about tax on medical expenses is still accurate by the time you lodge your tax return.