More sin taxes?

Today, old sleepy headed lover from Australia will announce the nation's budget. Look around you - has anyone been holding their breath fer an injection of life into a comatose economy?

Wanna bet it'll be the same old tactic of shocking hikes fer alcohol & tobacco which will hog the headlines? Like I said, I used to run a pub & Badawi's taxes on both those items made business fooking unfeasible.

The strange thing is that with these fookin ridiculous hikes, you can get contraband virtually anywhere now. Smuggling has become a very lucrative trade. Even the small sundry shops near me house has an ample supply of beer & liquor (everything from Chivas to Bombay Sapphire) at duty-free prices. Hooo-fookin-ray!

While at the Indonesian-run shop, you can buy various brands of kretek at a fraction of the list price. Great innit. The higher the taxes, the cheaper things become in some places . . . while the real issue of a nation's economy remains stuck in a rut.