Australian Treasurer Swan's July 1 LAFHA Reforms

**RaoulDuke66** · 02-06-2012, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by Rupert

Australians that are not maintaining a house elsewhere are not getting LAFHA in the first place. The 457 holders are, they are getting it by virtue of the visa they are holding and maintaining a house elsewhere doesn't even come into it. Perhaps you woulde happier if they changed the wording, but it won't change the end result.

So 457 holders are getting LAFHA where others in identical situation other than for the immigration status they hold are not, is that illegal under the 1953 act as well?

Incredible that you STILL can't grasp this. Under the transitional arrangements until 2014, Australians DON'T have to show they maintain a property elsewhere. That's the whole point! Sigh.

**guest32487** · 02-06-2012, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke66

What does sympathy have to do with anything? The transitional arrangements are illegal because they expressly target foreign workers. I just don't tolerate fools gladly.

Ok from my perspective, when the squabbling is over and you lose your LAFHA personally I will feel quite smug about it..

**Rupert** · 02-06-2012, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke66

Incredible that you STILL can't grasp this. Under the transitional arrangements until 2014, Australians DON'T have to show they maintain a property elsewhere. That's the whole point! Sigh.

It is you that is being exceedingly dumb here. You are getting preoccupied with wording and indeed the wording is clumsy, as it was in the first place, but it would be quite easy to smooth out the wording and it still won't help the majority of 457 visa holders getting LAFHA.

A 457 holder getting LAFHA is a completely different scenario to the Australian getting LAFHA. An Australian getting LAFHA is genuinely maintaining a home away from his place of work, if s/he was not there would be no LAFHA. A 457 visa holder is typically getting LAFHA by virtue of being a 457 visa holder and for no other reason, so it just isn't the same.

So with a tweak to the wording and indeed it is beyond me why they didn't think of this in the first place, the Australian government could easily apply different transitional arrangements for different situations rather than different groups of people and achieve exactly as they have done;

i.e. stop LAFHA immediately for *anyone* not maintaining a home elsewhere (they could even say anywhere in the world) and phase it by 2014 out for others. If they said this, then the end result would be that LAFHA would be stopped immediately for the majority of 457 holders and would be phased out for Australians.

I think the lobbying is just going to result in a change of wording.

Do you get it yet? Or are you still struggling with that.

Sigh.

**jonbclark** · 02-06-2012, 07:11 AM

My concern now as a 457 foreign worker living in NSW is paying full tax of a national and getting none of the benefits, and then having to find $9k a year to get my two kids into public school.

**Rupert** · 02-06-2012, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by jonbclark

My concern now as a 457 foreign worker living in NSW is paying full tax of a national and getting none of the benefits, and then having to find $9k a year to get my two kids into public school.

You are not paying full tax, you are not paying tax on your foreign income for example. And it is patently ridiculous to say you are getting none of the benefits just because your LAFHA is stopped.

Like many people, I don't get LAFHA or any welfare payments but I don't go around claiming I don't get any benefit for my tax paid. Taxes pay for infrastructure and other public services like the police and fire service. I have never used either of those two named services personally, but I am glad they are there and happy to pay, aren't you?

You should ask your employer for the $9k for school fees, if they need you here they will pay, you should have asked in the first place or researched your visa a little better.

**Greggers68** · 02-06-2012, 07:58 AM

Do you know what I find amazing about this thread, is the delight people are getting from other peoples misfortune. Yes they had the luxury of LAFHA and in most cases made a decision to go over to Oz based on what was then being offered from the Australian government. I for one don't see an issue with that as this is what was in place and on offer, however, this has now stopped, which is the governments right to do although they may not of been totally fair in the manner to which they have stoped it, that is for others to decide

I think this thread shows all that is wrong with modern society, people enjoying in other peoples misery, people being negative, people being selfish, pople enjoying winding other people up and some people being totally rude. We all have an opinion that does not mean we have to be rude to people, everyone in life will have an issue and struggle over something in life, I just hope people have a little more compassion when it happens to them.

Anyway guys have a nice day and lets trying to be more positive.

**RaoulDuke66** · 02-06-2012, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Peach

Ok from my perspective, when the squabbling is over and you lose your LAFHA personally I will feel quite smug about it..

Yeah. Won't happen.

**guest32487** · 02-06-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke66

Yeah. Won't happen.

lol. keep telling yourself how unfair it is and click your heels together three times.

AJ · 02-06-2012, 09:58 AM

This is my opinion on LAFHA

If you accept a job in another country it is your choice to go, so why should you get a living away from home allowance. it would be different if your present employer sent you there to work, but if you actively seek a role it should be up to you to ukeep another home if you do have a house at home. No one makes you move your family half way round the world, it is your own decision. People cant have it all ways, benefiting on LAHFA and some of them making money renting their house out in the UK or wherever. If you lived in say Edinburgh and you took a job in London, would you expect to get LAFHA here? Then why should you get the benefit from another country.

I just saw on another forum someone who is now going to apply for PR but was happy just to sit on a 457 as long as he was gaining benefit from LAFHA, had no intention of returning home. Shows how this loophole was taken advantage of. Some people just want it all!

**Rupert** · 02-06-2012, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Greggers68

Do you know what I find amazing about this thread, is the delight people are getting from other peoples misfortune. Yes they had the luxury of LAFHA and in most cases made a decision to go over to Oz based on what was then being offered from the Australian government. I for one don't see an issue with that as this is what was in place and on offer, however, this has now stopped, which is the governments right to do although they may not of been totally fair in the manner to which they have stoped it, that is for others to decide

I think this thread shows all that is wrong with modern society, people enjoying in other peoples misery, people being negative, people being selfish, pople enjoying winding other people up and some people being totally rude. We all have an opinion that does not mean we have to be rude to people, everyone in life will have an issue and struggle over something in life, I just hope people have a little more compassion when it happens to them.

Anyway guys have a nice day and lets trying to be more positive.

Well I for one, have never expressed any delight over LAFHA going away, but I do agree with the changes.

Yet somebody has insinuated that I am a simpleton more than once on this thread because I don't agree with their point of view and as such I eventually decided to retort at that level.

Now why do I think you are not too bothered about the rudeness towards those that think this is a good policy change.