MEMBER for MacKillop Nick McBride has unleashed a scathing attack on the former Labor administration for its “massive” and “galling” levy increase for regional South Australians.
The war of words erupted after Shadow Treasurer Stephen Mullighan accused the Liberal Part of skewing cuts towards metropolitan residents.
The State Government will spend $360m over four years to reduce the property-based Emergency Services Levy, which it says will save the average Adelaide household $145 each year.
Shadow Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said the Liberals’ regional constituents were set to receive substantially less than the purported figure due to lower median house values compared to the metropolitan area.
Mr Mullighan said the Liberal Party’s savings were skewed towards metropolitan areas, with the inner-city suburb of Unley set to benefit the most from the
cuts.
“It is extraordinary that in their first tax-cutting measure, so proudly spruiked by this government, they would turn their back on their traditional constituency and leave their own electors out in the cold,” he said.
Responding to criticism on the average savings, Mr McBride slammed the State Opposition for the “jaw-dropping” increase 900pc levy increase in rural and regional areas due to the removal of the primary producers concession.
“There was never a response from treasury to the review on this increase at the time, but the resulting changes to taxation were devastating and skewed in favour of urban areas,” he said.
“Quite frankly, I have been left shaking my head at the audacity of the opposition in their criticism of the concessions the Liberal government has defined to achieve the $90m cut for taxpayers, in particular, in light of the stealthy way they removed concessions during their time in government.”
In 2014, the Labor Government controversially doubled the charge as a response to Federal Government cutbacks to education and health spending.
Mr McBride hit back at claims the levy was increased due to billions of dollars worth of cuts, labelling the figure as “hypothetical”.
“The issue is that this $80b may have been talked about from Canberra, it may have been a wish list, but it was never put through the due diligence of a budget,” he said.
“This is what was so galling about the emergency services levy being increased to such an extent.
“They based it on the fact they were going to miss out on these funds, which were only ever talked about and were never actually confirmed to occur.”
