Senate debates

Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers

Taxation

3:21 pm

Photo of Jonathon DuniamJonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The one thing I noted from listening to this debate and observing question time today is that Labor's form, as to repeating falsehoods in the hope that people believe them, is well and truly on show again today. The notion that keeping taxes higher or indeed jacking them up higher is going to result in higher wages for workers just doesn't stack up either. I don't know where this idea is coming from. In terms of the falsehoods being peddled, we heard it last week with the ABC being sold off by the government, we heard it at the election with Medicare being sold off and we're hearing it now with keeping tax cuts and reserving them for the big end of town. It's just nonsense. It makes no sense and it doesn't stack up to any level of scrutiny.

Last week we did have the good news in being able to hand some tax relief to hardworking Australians right across the country—something that the opposition opposed. Labor didn't want to see the fruits of people's labour being enjoyed by them—money back in their pocket; money for them to spend as they see fit. That is something that we on this side of the chamber believe is the right way to go when it comes to handling people's money—allowing them to spend it rather than the government taking it off them and spending it on big government programs. And this week we hold out hope that the Senate will pass the much-needed tax relief for business in this country, to put our country's businesses on a globally competitive footing so that they can compete with the countries that Senator Macdonald mentioned in his contribution a little earlier on and so that those businesses don't make decisions to move offshore or to reduce their employment workforces here. That's what we need to be doing. That's what this is about.

But it's clear that the opposition, instead of being focused on the people we represent in this place and the communities that elect us to this place, are more focused on the political games down here. They're more focused on the Canberra bubble than on, say, the electors of Braddon in my home state, who would be big beneficiaries of the enterprise tax plan if it's realised to its full extent. The proof of this, as Senator Cormann mentioned today, is the captain's call made by the Leader of the Opposition with regard to what they would do if they won the next election after these tax cuts passed the parliament—that is, they would bring tax levels back up for businesses with a turnover of at least $10 million and perhaps even businesses with a turnover of $2 million. It's astounding. Instead of maintaining this competitive tax environment, they're going to jack taxes back up for businesses with a turnover of around $2 million. There wouldn't be many small family grocery stores and businesses like that that would be missing out in being caught up in this tax rate.

Speaking of Braddon, I did a bit of research and was able to look into the businesses in the electorate of Braddon, which, of course, will be going to a by-election on 28 July—and I wish Brett Whiteley, that great former member and candidate, all the best.

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