State Budget 2017: Opposition Leader Steven Marshall gives Budget an F

THE State Government has delivered “a massive tax Budget”, rather than the jobs one it touted, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall says.

• State Budget 2017: Five-minute guide
• State Budget 2017: Political Editor Daniel Wills’ analysis

THE State Government has delivered “a massive tax Budget”, rather than the jobs one it touted, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall says.

Mr Marshall said Treasurer’s Tom Koutsantonis’ fourth Budget “promised much but delivered little”, grading it an “F” .

“He promised a jobs Budget, and what we’ve seen, even by his own estimates, is we will have the slowest jobs growth in the entire nation,” Mr Marshall said.

“This will do nothing to alleviate the problems we have in South Australia”.

Mr Marshall was especially scathing of a tax on the major banks, saying it would be a hit to all South Australian households, despite Mr Koutsantonis’ pledge to the contrary.

“Give me a break. Every single South Australian that is going to be using the banking sector is going to be paying more,” he said.

“I think this sets up the perfect showdown at the next election where Labor want to increase taxes ... and the Liberal Party will be lowering taxes on individuals, families and businesses in this state.”

SA Senator Nick Xenophon — who is targeting multiple seats in the election — welcomed the tax on the banks but said the document was an “election Budget through and through”.

“But the books have been balanced through road accident victims through the sale of the Motor Accident Commission,” he said.

Australian Conservatives MLC Robert Brokenshire saidregional South Australians had been “left off the books and treated as second-class citizens”.

“What this budget shows is that the government is using Treasury to shore up votes in city areas ahead of the next election,” he said.