Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In question time today the Prime Minister said that he was sure that I would agree that Australia has very high personal income tax rates on high-income earners. This is not correct. The best comparison of personal income tax rates comes from the OECD's 2015 statistics, which show that Australia's top marginal income tax rate in 2015 was 12th of 34 countries. But this rate cuts in at a fairly high threshold, and if one is to look at the rate on someone earning 167 per cent—

Mr Fletcher interjecting—

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fenner needs to go to the point where he was misrepresented, not to make a speech.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not; I am simply explaining why I would not agree with the Prime Minister's statement. Tax rates on someone earning 167 per cent of average earnings mark us 13th of 34 countries in the OECD. Australia does not have extremely high personal income tax rates. The Prime Minister is wrong when he says that I would agree with that statement.