Smoking taxes make cigarette smuggling an increasingly attractive option

Sydney, 17 May : When a government treats citizens like criminals they tend to respond like criminals. The federal government, as large and intrusive as it has ever been, has helped create an underworld trade that is costing multi-billions of dollars.Every week, the equivalent of one full container of illicit cigarettes is smuggled into Australia. […]

Fairfax-Ipsos poll: Tony Abbott’s remarkable budget bounce

Perth : Tony Abbott’s battle-scared government has stormed back into contention on the back of a softer and “fairer” federal budget which has dissolved voter anger, papered over last year’s broken promises, and increased the prospects of an early election in 2015.In a stunning reversal of fortunes, the government and the opposition are now dead-even […]

IS Leader Abu Sayyaf killed in US Special Forces raid

Sydney : American Special Operations forces entered eastern Syria on Friday and killed a senior leader of the Islamic State, according to the US Defence Department. The leader, Abu Sayyaf, was involved in the group’s military operations and also helped manage black-market sales of oil and gas to raise money, according to a statement issued […]

Generation Sponge: Home loans, bills paid for by parents

Perth : More than eight out of 10 Australian parents admit to giving their children financial help to secure home loans and pay bills, according to a new survey by comparison website Finder.But only 40 per cent of adult children, aged 18 and over, admitted to receiving the assistance. Apart from no-catches cash, adult children […]

Thousands of NSW motorists are having cars captured in an elaborate ransom scam worth millions of dollars

Sidney : Thousands of NSW motorists are having their cars captured by tow truck operators and affiliated crash repairers as part of an elaborate, hostage-style racket worth tens of millions of dollars. A Sun-Herald investigation has found that sections of the accident towing industry are exploiting distressed, not-at-fault drivers at crash scenes by convincing them […]