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Coalition Opposed to Flood Levy
01-February-2011
The Federal Coalition joins the Government in offering our full support to the many communities which have been left devastated by the floods.
We believe it is of critical importance for households, farms and businesses to be put back on their feet as quickly as possible and for the community infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities to be rapidly repaired and rebuilt.
However, we also feel the Commonwealth’s financial assistance can be funded without the impost of a new flood levy. The levy will hit Australians who are already suffering because of the mismanagement of the economy by the Gillard government.
It is unfair to slug Australian families with a new tax at the same time as imposing taxes on both mining and carbon – these taxes will significantly increase the cost of living for Australian families.
The levy will also hit Australians who volunteered, donated, or, in a number of circumstances across Farrer, are victims of recent flooding themselves.
There is plenty of scope in the budget to cut, reprioritise and defer spending in order to find the $1.8 billion the government plans to raise through this new tax.
The government should cut its spending before it imposes a new tax. The Gillard government is showing that they will impose a tax as a first, rather than last resort.
The Coalition will therefore be opposing the levy,