Doorstop Interview

4 Treasury Place
Melbourne

Sunday, 20 March 2005
12.45 pm

SUBJECTS: GST and State Taxes

TREASURER:

Everybody in Australia knows that when GST was introduced, it was introduced to replace other state taxes, and that those other state taxes would be abolished. What we find now is that the States have a $2 billion windfall, they are resisting their responsibility to cut those other state taxes, and it is an absolute disgrace that Federal Labor now believes that those state taxes should remain, and people should be doubled taxed with both the GST and state taxes. Now, this is just a brazen attempt, we saw a brazen attempt by Federal Labor to support double taxation, GST, plus state taxes and it is going to punish consumers and business because under Federal Labor they will pay double taxation. Under Federal Labor consumers and business will be double taxed with both the GST and the state taxes which it was designed to replace and it is a disgrace. Federal Labor ought to be hauled into line for the sake of consumers and business.