Latest News & Commentary

GFC: Bankers and sub-primers just scapegoats

by Karl Fitzgerald | Jan 6, 2009 | Commentary

The Bank of England now admits that the UK government failed to provide it with the tools needed to deal with boom/bust, according to an interview tonight on BBC's Panorama programme. The missing tool was tax policy. "That’s why we can say that the global recession...

Lovers of Land Tax

by Karl Fitzgerald | Jan 5, 2009 | Commentary

photo credit: Shavar Former journalist Lisa Pryor sums up the frustrations of the many at the quarterly roll out of baby boomers complaining about Land Taxes on investment properties. She writes in her It's Grim Down the South Coast for the Well Off : Land tax...

Why Mugabe killed Zimbabwe

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 22, 2008 | Commentary, Multimedia

Monash Rates issue a distortion

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 17, 2008 | Commentary, Letters to the Editor

photo credit: chaosinjune letter to the Monash Journal Site Value ANGE Siouclis is correct to suggest "why not trim excess expenditure and unwarranted perks and costs" at Monash Council (Your View, November 24). But to say that we all should pay the same amount of...

Henry Review another mash up of compromises

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 16, 2008 | Commentary

photo credit: Dunechaser It seems that another whitewash of economic theory is being subtly thrust upon us with the ongoing Henry Tax review. According to Henry, he has re-written economic theory. The 3 sources of taxation are now labour, capital and consumption. The...

Fred Foldvary Speech on the Global Financial Meltdown

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 15, 2008 | Commentary

Fred Foldvary's rapid fire insights on the GFC are summarised in this excellent speech "Why the Predictable Crash of 2008 was not a Market Failure". From money supply manipulations to bailouts to the needed remedy, Foldvary flies through the stages of the cycle that...

Developers get 2nd Free Lunch in as many weeks

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 9, 2008 | Commentary

Land speculators with portfolios in Coolaroo, Cranbourne East, Caroline Springs, Nunawading, and Parkville will be celebrating with their second free lunch in as many weeks. Brumby's announcement of new train stations in these suburbs has delivered windfall gains to...

Why the Predictable Crash of 2008 was not a Market Failure

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 8, 2008 | Commentary, Past Events

photo credit: Poppyseed Bandits When: 7pm, Thursday Dec 11th Where: Prosper Australia, Frank Halkyard Library, Level 1/ 27 Hardware Lane, Melbourne Why: Because the US style bailout is heading our way Who: Fred Foldvary is the Senior Editor of the highly regarded...

Land Speculators Reign!

by Karl Fitzgerald | Dec 3, 2008 | Commentary

photo credit: Dean Terry If ever we needed any more motivation to burn the midnight oil, the Brumby government's latest handout to the property lobby is just this. Just nine months since he handed out free lunch with the 90,000 blocks of zoned land announced in March,...