Clearly, our Beilby Rewards members are an astute lot and firmly in touch with community views. Choosing who should manage our great country for another three years was not an easy task but this month’s Federal election result has demonstrated that Rewards members were right on the money.

Prior to the election, we asked our readers to indicate the issues of greatest importance to them. Most said they would choose a leader who had the best domestic economic policy, with a majority of 68% saying this was their priority.

Health and education was considered most important by 26% of respondents, with only four per cent concerned about foreign policy and terrorism.

In the lead-up to October 9, Prime Minister John Howard said: “The election has become a referendum on which party can keep interest rates low and deliver a strong economy”.

It seems the majority of Australians agreed and went to the polls asking what would benefit them and their families most? It was an opinion shared by most  Beilby Rewards participants, 87% of whom are middle income professionals.

Around 82% of survey respondents said they considered personal income tax rates in Australia were unfair yet more than half said the income tax issue would not influence their vote in the election.

Back in March 2004, the accounting profession called on the Federal Government to reform personal income tax, including lowering the top marginal rate instead of delivering a short-term tax cut as an election ploy.

CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia called for a more simple system and lower marginal tax rates for both high and low income earners. Their argument was that Australia had completed major reform of indirect tax with GST, of business tax and international taxation but personal tax reform hadn’t been tackled.