Page 2328 - Week 08 - Friday, 21 June 1991
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MR STEVENSON (7.10): Mr Speaker, I do not believe that the community would agree with these rates increases. However, of course, there is no opportunity for community consultation or to ask the community whether or not they agree with these increases. Certainly this sort of legislation can be effective in raising taxes.
What we are actually looking at is part of a budget given to us without any indication of what other increased taxes there are going to be. In this Assembly we are asked to vote for the increases without knowing what is in the rest of the package. Under those circumstances, I do not propose to vote for this part of the package prior to knowing what is in the rest of the package. I think that we should look to what we were talking about today and give the community the time to agree or not agree with such rates increases.
MR DUBY (Leader of the Opposition) (7.12): I rise to speak in support of these Bills.
Mr Wood: What a modest proposal it is, too, after yours last year.
MR DUBY: Thank you, Mr Wood. I am delighted to note that. I notice that in the presentation speech Ms Follett mentioned the rates increase which it was necessary to bring in last year. Basically these are work-a-day Bills. I think Bill No. 1 certainly tidies up a lot of areas that need to be tidied up. Indeed, the previous Alliance Government would have been bringing Bills of a very similar nature to the Assembly round about this time anyway.
Whilst the actual rate that is levied on the unimproved value of land is declining, I noticed in that explanatory memorandum that you handed out - thank you very much, Chief Minister - and which accompanied this yesterday to warn us and foreshadow what was happening, that there were some members of the community who were going to have a substantially higher increase than a mere 4 per cent. Admittedly some people were also going to have a reduction. However, I guess that in a way that is unavoidable, particularly when those new increased valuations are taken into account.
All in all, I support the Government in this matter. It is important that issues that affect revenue for the Government be in place prior to 1 July, and I have no problem with the Bills.
MR KAINE (7.13): Mr Speaker, the Liberal Party has no disagreement in principle with these two Bills and supports the right of the Chief Minister and Treasurer to put such Bills to the Assembly so that revenue, in terms of rating on residential and commercial property and rural property, can be collected effectively from 1 July.
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