A cartoon dog may get a handout, there’s a huge tax cut for video game makers and $900,000 for the nation’s ‘tuna champions’.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday evening announced the details of this year’s Federal Budget. Ten million Australians will pocket a $1,080 tax cut for another year and the country’s borders will essentially stay shut until mid-2022.
But in every federal Budget the government announces how it is splashing billions in niche (but often still important) programs around the country.
Here’s some of the more unusual initiatives unveiled by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s team.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced $1,080 in tax cuts for ten million Australians – and also funding for a range of niche projects
The foundation which helped fund Bluey the cartoon dog and hit 90s show Round The Twist was the recipient of $11million in Federal Budget 2022
A handout for Bluey?
Bluey – the Brisbane-based cartoon dog beloved by children and parents alike – could benefit from an $11million handout announced by Arts Minister Paul Fletcher.
The government has announced it will supply those funds to the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
The foundation played a ‘pivotal’ role in getting the popular kids TV show off the ground.
It was also responsible for bringing about classic programs such as ’90s show Round The Twist and Dance Academy.
Video games tax cut
Video game developers have struck gold in a bid to launch a multi-billion dollar global industry in Australia.
Under plans announced tonight, producers will be eligible for a 30 per cent refundable tax offset capped at $20million each year from July 1, 2022.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the policy will ‘help Australia take a greater share of the approximately $250billion global video games development market’.
A billion dollars for spooks
Australia’s spy agency ASIO is already receiving record funding and now the government will pump a further $1.3billion in over the next decade.
Officials are typically cryptic on what the funds will be used for.
Minister Karen Andrews would only say ‘it will ensure that ASIO can significantly enhance its capability to identify and respond to threats.’
Some $1million will be splashed out over two years to ‘support the growth of Australian fashion industry’
$1million for fashion
$1million will be splashed out over two years to ‘support the growth of the Australian fashion industry’, the budget papers said.
‘Tuna champions’
The government has announced $900,000 has been allocated to ‘extend and broaden’ the ‘tuna champions’ program.
The initiative supports the responsible fishing of southern bluefin tuna in Australian waters.
Soldiers exempt from income tax
Lucky Defence Force personnel deployed to the Middle East as a part of a United Nations mission will have their income tax fully exempted.
‘Yellow crazy ant’ brought to heel
Almost $10million has been set aside to control the spread of yellow crazy nets in Queensland’s tropics.
The ants –devastate ‘neighbourhoods, crops and biodiversity’ and ‘yellow crazy ants’ is their official name.
The insects are a particular nuisance for cane farmers.
Ten million Aussies get tax cuts worth $1,080 as thousands of free training places and extra cash for your super are unveiled in the Federal Budget – but you won’t be able to go overseas until 2022
By Charlie Moore for Daily Mail Australia
Ten million Australians will get a big tax cut worth up to $1,080 as part of a federal budget designed to cement the nation’s rapid recovery from last year’s Covid-induced recession.
But the sweetener comes alongside grim news that overseas holidays will be off the cards until mid-2022 except for travel bubbles with safe countries such as New Zealand as the deadly disease continues to ravage the world.
The budget’s flagship policy is an extension of the lower and middle-income tax offset – which gives Aussies who earn less than $126,000 a big boost when they submit their tax returns.
Australians earning between $48,000 and $90,000 will get the maximum amount of $1,080 while those earning between $37,000 and $48,000 and between $90,000 and $126,000 will get a smaller amount depending on their salary.
Amie Frydenberg hands her children Gemma and Blake a piece of chocolate as they listen to their dad Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handing down his third Federal Budget
Combined with the permanent tax cuts announced in the October budget, it means an Aussie earning $90,000 will pay $7,020 less tax over the four years from 2018 to 2022. Those earning between $60,000 and $80,000 will pay $6,480 less compared to 2017 tax settings.
Working parents will get a further boost as the budget slashes childcare fees for second and subsequent children and scraps the maximum subsidy amount, which will save 250,000 families an average of $2,200 a year.
Meanwhile, some 300,000 Australians who earn less than $450 a month from a single employer will get superannuation payments for the first time and thousands of young Aussies will have access to free training courses under an extension of the JobTrainer scheme.
In his speech in parliament on Tuesday night, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned ‘the pandemic is far from over’ with the world recording 800,000 cases a day, which is why hotel quarantine will be in place for another year even with everyone offered a vaccine by December.
But with 75,000 more Aussies in jobs than the before the pandemic, the Treasurer said Australia was ‘well on the way to recovery’.
‘Jobs are coming back, the economy is coming back, Australia is coming back,’ he declared.