NSW Coalition vow to scrap land tax freeze, restore kids’ vouchers
The NSW Coalition would scrap land tax hikes and bring back Active Kids Vouchers if they were ever to retake government, Opposition leader Mark Speakman has promised.
NSW
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The NSW Coalition would scrap land tax hikes and bring back Active Kids Vouchers if they were ever to retake government.
NSW Opposition leader Mark Speakman, in his second budget reply speech on Thursday, criticised the Minns government’s freeze of the land tax threshold arguing the extra cost would be passed on to renters.
Mr Speakman said he would reverse the freeze and keep indexing land tax thresholds. He also said he would reduce taxes and charges for property developers.
“Adding to the tax burden will only place additional pressure on investment returns leaving landlords two undesirable options,” he said.
“They either pass the cost onto their tenants or they sell investment properties … either way taking more homes out of an unsupplied rental market.”
Tuesday’s budget predicted the government expects to make an extra $1.5bn windfall over four years by keeping the land tax threshold steady.
Mr Speakman also promised to restore active and creative kids vouchers as he criticised the Minns government for spending “not a cent on cost-of-living support”.
He called the government’s waiver of the GP payroll tax a “shameless attempt” to window dress the measure as a cost-of-living measure and promised to restore active and creative kids vouchers.
The Opposition leader blamed large front line worker pay deals for draining revenues, saying the 10.5 per cent increase budgeted over three years for pay rises was likely to balloon out. He did not provide any details of how much of a pay rise the Coalition believes essential workers should receive.
“We know there is a further $6.4 billion in union demands that sit unfunded and unaccounted for,” he said.
Treasurer Daniel Moohkey said on Thursday, the 10.5 per cent pay offer was just the baseline offer and could potentially go higher. He said public services looking for higher pay rises needed to find savings internally.
“We will work with the workforce that provides (those savings) and allow them to invest in those wages,” he said.
Premier Chris Minns said if the Coalition felt public sector pay rises were too high, they should provide an alternative figure.
“We’ve made what we think is a fair offer … if the opposition believes that’s too much, what’s their number?’
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