Turnbull's reply - Or here's my big policy: tax smokes!

Geez what a lame Budget response.

Turnbull suggests there are "literally hundreds" of ways Rudd could offset the changes to the Private Health rebate, and the best he can come up with is to increase the tax on cigarettes (yep the oldest tax rise ever invented). That's it!!! I can just see Swan smacking his head thinking "D'oh, Taxing cigs, now why didn't I think of that?!!!)

Seriously this is the equivalent of suggesting "fancy dress" as a theme for a school social.

It's the equivalent of a financial advisor telling someone to eat mince meat instead of steak one night a week, or perhaps rent a DVD instead of going out the cinema, or try coming up with a fun meal made out of left-overs.

You think anyone would hear that and think, oh wow, you are a financial genius?

Nope neither do I.

And yet, this was what Malcolm termed a tough decision!

Yes you heard that right - increasing the tax on smokes is now tough! (And I guess raising the tax on alcopops is just a weak tax grab - don't try to follow the logic on that one.)

Pathetic.

He proposed no savings, merely a cost neutral measure.

He then proposes to increase the bureaucracy.

Weak.

I pine for the days of Brendan Nelson and his family of 7 and their Tarago.