‘Spending addiction': Fears Labor government will reintroduce carbon tax
'The Albanese government's so-called productivity summit is shaping up as a tax summit, and the one tax that seems to be gathering support – you guessed it – is the return of some sort of a carbon tax, Ms Credlin said.
'Now this is a government that's addicted to spending and addicted to union power; its union addiction means it can't address labour productivity, and its spending addiction means that it needs more and more revenue.
'It won't save the planet because any further cuts in emissions that we might secure here will be more than lost amidst the massive emissions increases coming from China and India as they strive to raise their people's standard of living.'
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West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Robert Carruthers: WA merits a spot at Jim Chalmers economic reform roundtable
There's just over a month until Treasurer Jim Chalmers' highly anticipated economic reform roundtable. The guest list is still being finalised, and the agenda has evolved to tackle ever-growing 'pillars' of reform. Whatever the roundtable's name or shape, the problem statement is clear: Australia's prosperity is under the gun, and we need to become far more match-fit. That's precisely why more key players from WA's dominant resources sector should receive a call-up. Australia's largest exporters are clearly critical to Australia's prosperity. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken of his Government's mandate to make lasting change. Indeed, alongside his Treasurer, there's the opportunity to become generational reformers in the mould of past Labor luminaries. But here's the rub: consensus-seeking cannot be the singular objective. We're right to be wary of well-choreographed, Canberra-centric thinking and an invite list that is too narrow. 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It just makes sense to extend more invitations to WA's industry leaders to accompany her in making the 3000km journey east. Successive governments have shied away from tackling broad-based tax reform. The net result is an overly complex system reliant on a proportionally narrowing base, akin to a death by thousand cuts labyrinth. The Albanese Government was elected with a mandate for lower taxes (with the notable exception of superannuation tax). Yet, concerningly, the Treasurer has taken to flying kites in recent weeks to test support for introducing new taxes. Any move to increase resources-based taxes should be called out for what it is: a shakedown on WA. The allure of low-hanging revenue measures must not substitute for meaningful rationalisation of the tax system across all levels of government. As former WA premier Colin Barnett argued, not even the GST distribution should be off-limits in the quest for meaningful reform. 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Perth Now
an hour ago
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Penalty rates bill aims to protect millions of workers
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Calls for consumption tax to be off the roundtable menu
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