10% Slug For Hunter Runners Who Want Memento Of Games Honour

Newcastle Herald

Friday June 23, 2000

By SCOTT TUCKER

NOT even the Olympic flame can dodge the GST.

Hunter Olympic torchbearers are being forced to pay the new consumption tax to claim their torches as mementos.

It has been confirmed that those who applied to pay for their torch by cheque or credit card upon confirmation of their roles in December will still be charged GST if they run after July 1.

Those who pay for their torches before July 1 will be charged $320 but will be slugged an extra $32 in GST if they run after July 1.

From July 1 SOCOG will charge more for the torch, so those running after that date will pay $374, including GST, if they want to buy them on the day they run.

Warners Bay torchbearer Dan Prowd, 12, was nominated to run after demonstrating personal courage in supporting his family after his father, Jeff, was diagnosed with incurable leukemia.

His family applied to buy his torch immediately upon hearing of his successful nomination.

But they have learned they will have to pay for the Federal Government's new tax because the hallowed Olympic flame does not make its way to the Hunter until August.

`Dan wanted to do something special for his dad, to help cheer him up,' mother Loretta said.

`We are absolutely thrilled, we are very proud of him.'

Anna Heasman, 14, of Corlette, a budding athlete, is another torchbearer who will have to pay the GST to take home her torch.

The dual medallist at the 1997 National Primary Schools Athletics Championships has won nine State athletics medals from 1995 to 1997, and has held the State long jump record.

Father Mike Heasman said he was not aware of the GST slug. He joked he would buy the torch even if it forced the sale of the family dog.

Eleven thousand torch relay runners will carry the flame around Australia between May 22 and September 15.