Heel, Premier, heel...

Treasurer: How can I deal with the rambunctious Labor States when they refuse to drop taxes as pledged? They won't even take my $A330 million sweetener... should I just withhold some GST payments?

The Augur's Well (TAW): If you do this, your name will become mud. Remember Johnny 'Never, ever' Howard? If you retain some GST for the Feds, everyone but everyone will say: 'See? mean and tricky... told ya so!'

Treasurer: But what am I to do? Those Premiers must be brought to heel [or did he say kneel?]. And my stocks will rise if I can put 'em in them...

TAW: There's a way that ol' Solly could have sold to David. But it takes courage!

Treasurer: Don't suggest I haven't got the ticker...

TAW: O.K., here goes: The Coalition Government drops the GST rate from 10 per cent to, say, 9 per cent...

Treasurer: Hang on! Where's the mileage in that?

TAW: You kill two birds with one stone, and it won't even crack up the glasshouse - you will be in effect withholding some GST from the States, and you'll be giving the great unwashed horde of battlers some measure of tax relief. How neat is that?

Treasurer: My word! And I don't even need to DO it... just talking about considering it will swing those recalcitrants
'round to seeing sense... Just brilliant, that's what I am! I'm not the greatest living Treasurer for nothing, man!

TAW: Go in pieces, my son...