Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We need to talk about getting rid of negative gearing, making housing more affordable and getting rid of capital gains taxes. We need to talk about progressive superannuation tax concessions. We need to talk about getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies. There is so much more we need to be focusing on in tax reform in this country. I sat in here until this government got elected, listening to them talk about how each Australian household was going to be slugged under a price on carbon. Guess what? According to work we had done by the Parliamentary Library, at a 12½ per cent rate the GST is going to cost households an extra $31 per week. A 15 per cent GST is going to cost households an extra $62 per week—that is $240 a month. Multiply that by 12 and we are talking about a significant burden for those Australian households that cannot afford to pay it.

In comparison, the carbon price, which was all we ever heard about in this place, was $11 per week. I know that you, Mr Acting Deputy President, have spoken on this as well. If you want to talk about burdens on households, then GST is your No. 1 culprit. What concerns me most is that this will stymie real debate on tax reform in this country. There is a whole range of things that should be on the table that will immediately get shunted into the too-hard basket if we go down the GST road. The Greens will not be supporting a tax that makes life harder and less fair for Australians, particularly for those on low incomes. Why should a multimillionaire like our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, pay the same rate of tax on his groceries as someone who is on social security, or is a struggling single mother who has to provide for her children? How is that fair? It is not fair, and that is why it is called a regressive tax.

We need to look at a taxation system in this country that not only raises revenue,—in my opinion, that is a secondary consideration—but can make the country fairer and more equitable. Hopefully we will find a choice of policy mix that achieves both, that makes this country fairer and more equitable and raises the revenue we need to balance budgets over a cycle. This is not just about how we can make money quickly—a quick fix. This is about how we can improve our country. Let me tell you, if you want to make this country more fair and more equitable, then GST is the worst possible thing you can do. It is the worst of all the options we have in front of us for making this country more fair and more equitable. This is the debate we have to have. It is irrefutable that the GST is a regressive tax. Let's talk about how we can improve this country, raise revenue, make housing more affordable and help those Australians who are in need.