Ah – Peter Dutton loves the past when sheilas knew their place, blokes were blokes and boozy lunches were a key characteristic of the business environment.

He also seems to love the boozy tax deductible days when company staff entertained clients, or each other, and then deducted the cost from their tax. Now he wants to bring it all back by introducing a new version of that old system.

Many businesspeople today are probably too young to remember the glorious days when Australia last had tax deductibility for ‘entertainment’ expenses as now promised by Peter Dutton.

It was an era of long boozy lunches, multiple receipts and expensive bottles of wine. Everyone knew the system was being rorted, but we were all having too much fun to worry. The only real restraint was that if it was a very, very long lunch you shouldn’t go back to the office to sleep it off.

You entertained a supplier. They entertained you. Advertising, sales and PR people were in their elements. Journalists were wined and dined. Rorts were too common to be counted. The blog remembers a boozy lunch at an Italian restaurant near Victoria’s Parliament House. Staffers from all parties and journos from print and electronic media attended. From memory it included legends such as Peter Blazey  and John Jost. At the end the maître de offered us all a personal copy of the total bill.

Staffers, sadly, couldn’t claim it back but no doubt the media people did.

Hopefully Dutton’s plan won’t usher in quite the same anything goes approach which applied back then – particularly as most modern employers generally frown on alcohol consumption during office hours. Moreover, the days of journos such as Jack Darmody, Harry the Horse, legendary in their own lunchtimes are also largely past.

But no doubt, if the Dutton system ever came to pass, some sectors of the economy would work out a way to bring back those glorious days of the past and stick their snouts back in the trough.

Most would probably stick to more modest entertainment but there would be others who see it as a great opportunity. For instance, would Gina Rinehart’s generosity to politicians in the form of trips and the associated costs be eligible under the Dutton system? Surely, she doesn’t need the tax deduction?  But can you imagine her not taking it?

At least politicians and journalists these days generally declare hospitality and perks they have got from companies and organisations so some disclosure would be achieved – without the public declaration of the tax deduction by the company. For instance, journalists covering the travel industry acknowledge the freebies provided.

But even with the best intentions of many there will be creative accounting minds working at how clients can get maximum benefit from the scheme – to the detriment of other taxpayers.