Loophole has taxpayers forking out for MP homes

A 7 News investigation has uncovered dozens of politicians using taxpayer funds to pay their Canberra mortgages.

While Prime Minister Tony Abbott today gave Scott Morrison a friendly dressing down for standing on the brickies' work in Injinoo, dozens of MPs are working the system to pay off their own properties in Canberra.

After Treasurer Joe Hockey made headlines for using his travel allowance to pay rent to his wife, a 7 News investigation has found 64 of Parliament's 226 MPs - or almost one third - are doing the same thing.

SCROLL DOWN FOR A FULL LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTS WHO OWN PROPERTY IN CANBERRA OR QUEANBEYAN

After Treasurer Joe Hockey made headlines for using his travel allowance to pay rent to his wife, a 7 News investigation has found 64 of Parliament's 226 MPs - or almost one third - are doing the same thing. Photo: AAP

Politicians from both sides are helping themselves to the taxpayer-funded allowance to help pay off Canberra investment properties owned by themselves or their spouses.

Some of them are houses, most of them are apartments in suburbs surrounding Parliament House, turning MPs into the property kings of Canberra.

"Look, it's clearly within the rules but the rules need to be changed to be much more transparent," Senator Nick Xenophon told 7 News.

Under the entitlements rules, Members of Parliament are paid $271 for accommodation each night they stay in Canberra whether they stay in a hotel, a friend's house or their own.

No questions asked, no receipts required.

"This is not the way the way the rest of the world handles travel allowances," said Professor Allan Fels from the University of Melbourne.

That $271 Canberra allowance becomes $1355 each sitting week.

And with 19 of those a year, that's more than $25,745 annually - enough to repay a $400,000 loan.

With 64 MPs doing it, it's costing taxpayers $1.64 million a year.

Put another way, the payment is about double that of the Newstart allowance and $500 a month more than the aged pension.

Tony Abbott says he wants the current review of MPs entitlements to bring them in line with community standards and it's clear from the community's perspective that this allowance is far from standard.

"Politicians should catch up with how ordinary people have their travel allowances dealt with," said Professor Allan Fels.

"And maybe, just maybe it might restore a bit of faith in politicians," said Senator Xenophon.

Here is the list of MP and Senators who have declared they own, part own or their spouses own property in Canberra or Queanbeyan.
Eric Abetz
Anthony Albanese
Chris Back
Cory Bernardi
Catryna Bilyk
Bronwyn Bishop
Julie Bishop
George Brandis
Andrew Broad
Mal Brough
Tony Burke
Mark Butler
Doug Cameron
Matt Canavan
Kim Carr
Michaelia Cash
Jim Chalmers
Julie Collins
Pat Conroy
Mathias Cormann
Mark Coulton
Peter Dutton
Kate Ellis
Warren Entsch
David Fawcett
Joel Fitzgibbon
Gary Gray
Jill Hall
Chris Hayes
Bill Heffernan
Joe Hockey
Stephen Jones
Michael Keenan
Chris Ketter
Andrew Laming
Allanah Mactiernan
Richard Marles
Russel Matheson
Andrew Nikolic
Brendan O'Connor
Barry O'Sullivan
Stephen Parry
Nova Peris
Keith Pitt
Tanya Plibersek
Helen Polley
Christian Porter
Jane Prentice
Melissa Price
Linda Reynolds
Amanda Rishworth
Phillip Ruddock
Bruce Scott
Nigel Scullion
Rachel Siewert
Warren Snowdon
Glen Sterle
Sharman Stone
Ann Sudmalis
Dan Tehan
Warren Truss
Malcolm Turnbull
Matt Williams
Ken Wyatt

au.news.yahoo.com  27 Aug 2015

Another win for the corporate criminal (tax cheating) elite.

If anyone from the masses would embark on a similar venture the tax department would shut them down.

A 'loophole' is (by design) a deliberate way for the corporate elite to enjoy what the 'normal' people cannot.

Australia is truly a corporate criminal's paradise, where the balance of figures is mopped up by the herd population.