"Why can't the Government lift the GST on everyday living items, e.g. food and petrol?"

UNITYblog editorial 5 July 2008 The cost of petrol is spiking upwards again and likely to reach $2.50 per litre. Working people are really hurting. A recent letter from the NDU express asks the question: "Why can't the Government lift the GST on everyday living items, e.g. food and petrol?". The correspondent goes on to say: "I travel 70km per day to get to work. I estimate the cost of petrol plus wear and tear on the car is around $150 per week. Take this off our lousy wage. And we have to ask ourselves, is it worth getting out of bed at 5am five days per week or financially are we in the same boat if we stay at home and collect the dole? What's the government going to do?" This crisis for working class people is going to be a big election issue. RAM is continuing to build the "GST-off-food" campaign, which will run right up until election time. The response has been overwhelming on the streets of working class suburbs across the country. The extent of grassroots anger means there's the opportunity to turn this demand into a real mass movement that the politicians in parliament cannot ignore.