The new year has barely got going and already there's more Liberals coming out of the woodwork calling for the GST to be added to fresh food and other basic necessities. Joe Hockey needs to knock this on the head right now.
MEDIA RELEASE
SQUASH THIS GST BROKEN PROMISE NOW
Australians who had hoped the Abbott Government’s year of broken promises were behind them must be dismayed to see it gearing up for a whopper on the GST.
When WA Liberal Premier Colin Barnett called for GST to be added to fresh food in December, Abbott Government ministers pointedly refused to rule it out.
Senior Victorian Liberal Dan Tehan has loudly added his support to slugging families with more GST at the checkout but wants to go further – he wants to include a GST on school education, university education, healthcare and financial advice.
According to Mr Tehan, this would represent a $21.6 billion increase in the GST – around $1,000 for every Australian man, woman and child.
It’s clear that the Abbott Government has started 2015 the way it finished last year, determined to increase cost of living pressures on Australian families.
Before the 2013 election Tony Abbott promised there would be “no new or increased taxes”.
On 33 occasions he specifically ruled out changes to the GST.
But now Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey appear to be letting their Liberal colleagues lay the groundwork for them to break that promise.
As Joe Hockey himself has noted, broadening the GST will increase the cost of living for everyday Australians.
The Abbott Government went to the election pledging no changes to the GST. Now it is letting one of its Committee Chairs propose raising the cost of hospital bills, private school fees and fresh food by 10 percent.
Mr Tehan also seems to favour a higher GST rate, describing New Zealand's two GST increases as an "inspiration" for the Abbott Government.
The Government must rule out these proposals today. If it fails to do so, then hiding behind Liberal premiers and backbenchers won’t disguise yet another broken promise.
MONDAY, 5 JANUARY 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: JENNIFER RAYNER 0428 214 856
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