Page 2086 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 June 2015
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We have advocated strongly for the indexation of energy concessions, for example, and support the increase in the concessions support expenditure in this budget and the last. The review of the concessions scheme is well underway, and I look forward to the ongoing community consultation to ensure we get this right. It is important, in the face of growing demand, that we do not use the review as a vehicle to cut support to the community across the board, but instead target assistance to those who really need it.
I would like to note, in spite of the rhetoric of the Canberra Liberals and Mr Smyth, that as a proportion of gross state product our current tax take is below the long-term average of 4.3 per cent and is set to stay below there until at least 2018-19. It is quite ironic, given all the blather about Labor governments being high taxing, that the ACT’s taxation revenue as a proportion of GSP peaked under the Liberals 15 years ago when it was over five per cent. Perhaps Mr Smyth and Mr Hanson would like to acknowledge that point before they head off on further ill-informed commentary about high taxation levels. Perhaps they would also like to outline their plan for raising the revenue they would need to run the services of government should they take office. I would be keen to see their recipe for that magic pudding.
I would also like to see some acknowledgement that, although some taxes and charges are going up, simultaneously there are also taxes going down, such as the gradual abolition of insurance taxes and stamp duty. I have heard complaints that the reduction in stamp duty is only helpful for those few people purchasing houses. However, when we take into account that people move on average every seven years, as they are downsizing, upsizing or moving interstate, this is likely to benefit someone in everyone’s family in the near future. This is certainly not the case with insurance taxes that most people pay on an annual and ongoing basis for their house, their car, their house contents and so on.
I would like to point out that these tax changes are revenue neutral to the government. They are about a fairer, more targeted tax burden, not a bigger slice of the pie. It will also result in a more predictable, stable income for the government, as the government could not easily budget for how many people may move house in any year.
I am very pleased that many initiatives are funded in this budget that the Greens have championed in this or the previous Assembly through the parliamentary agreements. New walking and cycling infrastructure of $5.6 million as part of a $23 million active transport spend is one example. The health of Canberra’s lakes and catchments, with funding for community catchment groups, is another element, with funding over four years of $1.4 million for the upper Murrumbidgee water watch program. Monitoring is a big part of restoring the health of our lakes and waterways. We see ongoing funding for a park care ranger, as well as insurance and other support for new and existing volunteer groups.
Last year the budget had funding for 30 new drinking fountains in key areas across Canberra. These have been warmly welcomed, so we have allocated a further $100,000 in funding in this year’s TAMS capital upgrade program for additional drinking fountains in high use areas. We see increased investment in mental health and, of course, the investment to deliver light rail.
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