A $37 billion tax cuts package is coming our way over the next few years. The changes in personal tax from July 2006 work out as follows:

The 30 per cent threshold will rise to $25,001.

The 42 per cent rate will be cut to 40 per cent and the threshold increased to $75,001.

The 47 per cent marginal tax rate will be cut to 45 per cent and the threshold increased to $150,001.

We also pay medicare but that’s much, much less than National Insurance in the UK.

Looking to the (my) future, superannuation for people aged 60 and over will be paid tax free from July 2007.

It looks as if Australia is proving to be the lucky country. Developing countries are hungry for metal ores - which Australia has in abundance. Australian exports are fetching record prices and the economy is very healthy. For years now we’ve been getting tax cuts. Compare this with the UK where Gordon Brown is scratching around for every possible way of increasing taxes.

Australia’s needs for skilled migrants are going to be all the more easily met. It used to be that Brits looking to emigrate to Australia traded off the fact they’d be financially worse off for more sunshine and a better lifestyle. It looks more and more as if Australia may soon offer a higher wage packet as well as the sunshine and better lifestyle. Finding more migrants for Australia is becoming easier every year.