From the ABC

Taxpayers shouldn't fund Hardie compo: Howard
The Prime Minister, John Howard, says he does not want ordinary taxpayers to shoulder James Hardies responsibility to compensate workers suffering from asbestos-related illness.

The Australian Tax Office has ruled that a fund set up by James Hardie for asbestos victims is not a charity and will decide within the next month whether the company's contributions to the fund can be tax free.

Labor and the union movement have called on the Federal Government to step in to make sure tax concessions are offered, saying victims will miss out on compensation payments if they are not.

Mr Howard says the company should meet its obligations without burdening taxpayers.

"The principle has to be that James Hardie bears responsibility for this," Mr Howard said.

"It was their employees who were affected and they are entitled to the normal tax treatment but they are not entitled to shift some of their responsibility to the rest of us through some kind of special tax deal."
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Gus:

Without harping on too much, I think Hardie should have some tax break. One of the asbestosis culprit is the Australian government that did nothing to stop manufacture of Asbestos products when it had had to know the products were dangerous. Since the early 1900s authorities around the world have been alerted to, and alerting to, the problem asbestos can cause but successive federal Australian government allowed the mining of asbestos and cashed itself up from these mining rights. Tax break would acknowledge the failure to enforce what they would have had to know for a long time: Asbestos was dangerous. So Mr Prime Minister, you are wrong, taxpayers should fork out in the form of tax break to the foundation. over to you.

From the ABC

Iemma, Howard to continue asbestos fund talks
New South Wales and the Federal Government have agreed to hold further talks on the charitable status of James Hardie's compensation fund for asbestos victims.

Prime Minister John Howard stood firm at yesterday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting against reversing the tax office decision that the fund was not a charity.

Mr Howard has said the company should not be rewarded for its actions while taxpayers are penalised, but he has agreed to continue talks with New South Wales.

Premier Morris Iemma says he will keep pushing for a resolution.

"I don't believe that there's any taxpayer out there who would want to see the tax office get a bonus out of the misery of the James Hardie victims," he said.

read more at the ABC

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As mentioned in the previous blog Gus says the Government has to share the pain for its dereliction of duty although all the legality has been passed on Hardie...

Yes, clear the air and show at least some weeny heart in the solidified cast iron blob that's inside the rodent ribcage... Dream on, Gus...

From the ABC

James Hardie secures compensation fund tax ruling
There has been a breakthrough in the tax stand-off that had been clouding the future of asbestos compensation payments by building products company James Hardie.

Earlier this year, the Taxation Office refused to grant tax-exempt charity status to the special fund set up by James Hardie to compensate asbestos victims.

The company has announced this morning it has secured a private ruling from the Tax Office, which it believes will result in an acceptable tax outcome.

It says it will now move to finalise a funding agreement with the New South Wales Government as soon as possible.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello has welcomed the announcement, saying it is good news for victims.

But Mr Costello says the tax status of compensation payments was a hurdle of the company's own making.

The New South Wales secretary of the AMWU, Paul Bastion, says the taxation ruling is good news, but there are still issues to be resolved before a deal can be finalised.

"There have been some negotiations with the State Government on other issues as well and then we have to see the setting up of the fund," he said.

"So there are still other issues to go through but that was the major hurdle.

"If that's now cleared a path to fast-track the establishment of the fund then that is very good news and welcome news for victims."

The vice president of the Asbestos Diseases Foundation, Bernie Banton, says it is long overdue.

"Oh, about time. Hardies and the tax man have been stuffing around for so long it's time they got it together and got this deal finalised," he said.