Page 196 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 17 February 1993
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Mr Connolly: Apply it to this organisation.
MR HUMPHRIES: Would you believe the Federal Treasury, Mr Connolly?
Mr Connolly: Yes, if you could apply it to that organisation's purchases.
MR HUMPHRIES: I have a document here which I will table. It is a confidential minute paper from the Federal Treasury. A joint Treasury-Finance briefing analyses a model of indirect taxation changes as a result of Fightback.
Mr Kaine: This is one of the projects they never undertook for the Government.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. It says that for electricity, gas and water suppliers across the whole of Australia - this is a national figure, admittedly - after taking off indirect payroll tax, excise charges and wholesale sales tax, the net effect on the price is $699m.
Mr Kaine: Reduction.
MR HUMPHRIES: A reduction of $699m. This is according to a Federal Treasury paper. Even if you take out gas, which of course ACTEW does not supply, the net result is still $600m positive for ACTEW.
Ms Follett: For ACTEW?
MR HUMPHRIES: I beg your pardon - for electricity and water authorities. If it is so positive across the country, there is no reason at all why it should not be positive in the ACT as well. If ACTEW obtain a benefit in the ACT they can pass it on to consumers. I expect you, Minister, as the Minister responsible for ACTEW, to ensure that those savings made through the GST are indeed passed on to consumers. Madam Speaker, we have seen an awful lot of scaremongering going on about GST. This is one more example. We all know, though, that the people of Australia will not be fooled by these stupid tactics. They know. They are smart enough to realise that there are pluses and minuses, and the pluses are very big indeed.
Goods and Services Tax
MR LAMONT (5.06): Madam Speaker, I understand that at a recent race meeting in the bush a horse called GST came second, and it cost $1.15 to get a dollar back; so we rest our case.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Assembly adjourned at 5.06 pm
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