Wilson Tuckey (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the member for Hunter to his continued attendance at the dispatch box and hope that he will continue to bring a modicum of common sense to this place. The Tax Laws Amendment (2006 Measures No. 6) Bill 2006 before us today, as has been described by the member for Hunter, is a piece of amending legislation to address certain outstanding matters and inaccuracies within the tax act and primarily, from a political perspective, addresses the increasing or the extending of entitlement for deductible gift recipients. This is a policy, I would say a bipartisan policy, of government to allow charities as we know them to achieve a status of being a deductible gift recipient, meaning those persons who donate to them in amounts in excess of $2 can claim a tax deduction upon their own tax responsibilities.

I note that just these small measures are identified as having a negative effect on revenue of about $9.59 million, $9.6 million—quite a lot of money. I am sure each and every one of these particular groups that have had their status established or otherwise extended in this bill are managed by people of good intent and will result in community benefit and public good.

It has been an issue for me nevertheless to concern myself with this process. I mean, considering the rather limited number of projects involved, would we have been better giving them $9.6 million instead of having this convoluted process? I have not got the answer to that, but I have often raised that question. I have concerned myself over the years with the scrutiny of some of these organisations. It is notable here that a number of these organisations had a limited period in which they qualified as a deductible gift recipient, and four have had that entitlement period extended.

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