The Olympic Games - More Government Waste
Might as well start with something controversial (in Australia, at least!!). In the August 28-29 edition of the "Australian Financial Review" there is an article entitled "A great splash for our cash". It talks about the success of the Australian Olympic team at the Athens Olympics and contrasts it with the relatively poor performance of the Canadian team. One of the reasons for the difference is the amount of money that the Australian government spends on sport.
"In Australia over the four years to July next year, the federal government will have allocated (Australian) $187 million to high-performance sports, including more than $54 million to the Australian Institute of Sport specifically earmarked for Olympic sports"
The article then talks about the massive cost of the Athens Olympics (10 billion Euros), which will probably burden Greek taxpayers for years to come. The article concludes by saying:
"Greeks are bound to ask soon, was it worth it? But ask the same question about the large amount of their taxes that go to funding elite sport, most Australians will respond: "Absolutely"".
Well here's one Australian (albeit naturalised) that says "Absolutely Not!!!" This is a great example of the waste that occurs when governments get involved. What benefit is there to the average taxpayer from this subsidy? Sure, we'll get all the "National Prestige" type arguments but at the end of the day that's a complete load of rubbish!! If people want to support sports, that's fine but let them do it directly and out of their own pockets. The same applies to funding for the Arts.
The comment in the article reveals another issue, that is most Australians probably won't think there is anything wrong with this frivolous government spending. Wake up! The government has it's hand in your pocket and it's wasting your money!!
"In Australia over the four years to July next year, the federal government will have allocated (Australian) $187 million to high-performance sports, including more than $54 million to the Australian Institute of Sport specifically earmarked for Olympic sports"
The article then talks about the massive cost of the Athens Olympics (10 billion Euros), which will probably burden Greek taxpayers for years to come. The article concludes by saying:
"Greeks are bound to ask soon, was it worth it? But ask the same question about the large amount of their taxes that go to funding elite sport, most Australians will respond: "Absolutely"".
Well here's one Australian (albeit naturalised) that says "Absolutely Not!!!" This is a great example of the waste that occurs when governments get involved. What benefit is there to the average taxpayer from this subsidy? Sure, we'll get all the "National Prestige" type arguments but at the end of the day that's a complete load of rubbish!! If people want to support sports, that's fine but let them do it directly and out of their own pockets. The same applies to funding for the Arts.
The comment in the article reveals another issue, that is most Australians probably won't think there is anything wrong with this frivolous government spending. Wake up! The government has it's hand in your pocket and it's wasting your money!!
posted by Kevin Francis at
7:09 pm
