not the motorcycle diaries

What to say about The Federal Budget? On a personal level, I get a bit nostalgic for the flurry of number-crunching and media releases that characterised budget time when I worked for peak bodies (not to mention the annual jostle for who would get to go to The Budget Lock-Up* - feelings of ‘you heard it here first’ superiority and fabulous cream biscuits being the equally valued benefits). Beyond this though, it’s the same old bollocks (bollix?). And seeings as, this year, I *don’t* have to prepare any graphs showing the mean impact of reducing places in public sector training schemes on 19-24 year olds with brain injuries in rural areas …. I’ve got some bigger questions.

Is, or is not, the main point of a tax system to re-distribute wealth? Is the money being distributed in the Budget public money garnered from taxes, or is it not? Why are Budgets not measured by the question, ‘have we ensured that the basic needs of our citizens can be met adequately for another year’? …. And why have a surplus? Or if we do have a surplus, what is it *for*? What’s so damn good about it? How might things be different/better under a participatory budgeting system?

Discuss ;-).

* *Not to be confused with a ‘Lock-In’ (though at least as wierd and tacky).*