Page 3378 - Week 08 - Thursday, 23 August 2012
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Mr Seselja: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Order! One moment, Mr Barr, thank you.
MR BARR: they should read an economics I textbook.
Mr Seselja: The question was very specific: it relates to the brochure and it relates to the failure to be up-front about the massive increase in rates. I would ask you to ask the minister to be directly relevant to the question.
MR SPEAKER: Minister, I will ask you to refer any further comments to the brochure and certainly not to the Liberal Party.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Liberal opposition do not seem to understand in the context of tax reform that we are cutting—
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Yes, thank you. Mr Barr, I did just ask you to not refer to the Liberal Party. So you can either sit down or focus on the brochure.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Through our tax reforms the government are cutting rates for one quarter of ACT households. We are introducing progressive marginal tax rates. The rates system will follow very closely a system that we are all used to, and that is income taxation, in that the higher the value of the land the higher the rate of taxation. This ensures equity insomuch as those Canberrans who are on low and middle incomes receive a tax cut. I know that really goes to the heart of what the Liberal Party oppose about this, because they do not believe in fairness and equity in taxation.
Mrs Dunne: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Barr, thank you. I think you can just resume your seat.
MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mrs Dunne.
MRS DUNNE: I presume that your injunctions to the Treasurer go to the supplementary as well as the initial question.
MR SPEAKER: It depends on the question, Mrs Dunne. We will see how we go. Let us just have the question, thank you.
MRS DUNNE: Why, when you said in your brochure that general rates will become more progressive, could you not have been more honest and simply told ratepayers that the general rates will become more expensive?
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