LOOSE CHANGE
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday September 30, 2009
Helping handFund manager Australian Ethical Investment has donated $140,868 to 25 social and conservation projects. The largest grant of $45,000 will go towards building a combined primary and secondary school in Bangladesh. Over the past decade it has donated nearly $1 million. It gives 10 per cent of profits to charity.Towards parityThe Australian dollar is knocking on the door of 90 US cents again after hitting more than 95 US cents a year ago. The Aussie dollar is a commodities currency and, as the pall of gloom lifts on the outlook for the global economy, commodity prices are on the rise. The US dollar is still relatively weak, which is a reflection of the weak US economy.Bad savingsThe Australian Taxation Office is reportedly going to contact about 300,000 people to warn them they may be in breach of the Government's new, lower, limits on salary-sacrificed and after-tax super contributions. From July 1, the amount that could be salary sacrificed over the financial year into super was halved. Those who salary sacrifice more will face a penalty tax.Nice little earnerAirline passengers are paying hefty credit card booking fees. Choice says it hits cheaper fares because it is a flat fee per passenger rather than a percentage of the total transaction. It says Qantas charges credit card holders an extra $7.70 a passenger for domestic and $25 a passenger for overseas flights. A family of four flying from Sydney to Melbourne return with a single transaction on one card would pay a surcharge to Qantas of $30.80.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
