Malcolm Turnbull had a firey row with Tanya Plibersek over whether reforms would boost middle Australia
A SUPER Saturday by-election showdown over tax cuts has started with a fiery row between Malcolm Turnbull and Labor’s deputy leader Tanya Plibersek about whether the government’s $144 billion reforms would boost the aspirations of middle Australia.
NSW
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A SUPER Saturday by-election showdown over tax cuts has started with a fiery row between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Labor’s deputy leader Tanya Plibersek about whether the government’s $144 billion reforms would boost the aspirations of middle Australia.
Labor is facing five polls next month vowing to roll-back tax cuts for people earning more than $95,000 — the first time in two decades — while promising “bigger, better” cuts to low and middle income workers.
Ms Plibersek was booted from Question Time yesterday after clashing with Mr Turnbull over an earlier interview during which she said: “This aspiration, it mystifies me … as if someone on $40,000 a year isn’t going to want to earn $100,000 a year because they’re going to pay a lot more tax”.
But Mr Turnbull slammed Ms Plibersek and Labor as the “privileged elite” who patronised hardworking Australians and wanted them to go without a tax cut.
“They want to keep the workers in their place,” he said.
“I remember when the Labor Party had members that had really worked.”
Mr Turnbull told The Daily Telegraph the contrast between the two “has never been greater”, slamming Oppostion Leader Bill Shorten for wanting “to burden Australian workers, families and businesses”.
Labor will oppose the Turnbull government’s entire $144 billion personal tax plan if it could not force the first stage — worth about $16 billion — to be voted on separately. Treasurer Scott Morrison has repeatedly ruled this out, while Centre Alliance wants to carve the first two stages — worth $102 billion — off and vote for them alone.
The government needs 39 votes in the Senate to pass the tax cuts, which are due to start this year, and remains four votes off success.
Centre Alliance has not decided if it will vote for the entire tax cut package if it fails to carve off the first two parts — out of three — during debate.
But Mr Shorten said Labor would vote against any tax plan except for the first part of the package, targeted tax relief for low and middle-income earners through a tax offset, and said the latter parts of the reforms were “fictitious” because they didn’t start till 2024. “If the government wants to hold hostage tradies and teachers and say that unless they can get through tax cuts on the never-never in seven years’ time (that no-one will get them) be it on their head,” Mr Shorten said.