THIS mindless "Buy Nothing New Month" campaign being supported by Lake Macquarie City Council is beyond belief ("Give us a break", Lakes Mail, October 9).
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To add to insult, the council "encourage locals to explore the council-promoted Super Street Sales - co-ordinated garage sales of second-hand items".
These are cash-only and no-tax operations!
Where does council think its income originates?
It comes from residents who depend on local employment to earn a salary, to support their family, educate their children, and pay rates.
Small business owners still have to pay the weekly overheads, staff wages, superannuation, electricity, cleaning, and so on.
Casual employees would discover there was no work available to them for the period of this ridiculous idea.
The effect goes further: no sales means no GST is payable to the Australian Tax Office, a source of grants to councils and others.
As a thought, how about we as residents mount a "Pay No Council Rates Month" campaign, to allow council to get their act together and fulfil the reasons that they exist, instead of trying to destroy the hand that feeds them? And where do the elected councillors fit into this? Are they advised of these harebrained schemes?
My understanding is that they were elected to represent the ratepayers. Perhaps they need a reminder.
- Trevor Corlett, Brightwaters