‘Desperate and grubby’: Volunteers to cough up for new levy

Volunteers who were told they would be exempt from the new Emergency Services Volunteer Fund levy will now have to pay and apply for a capped refund.

Victoria’s emergency volunteers will also be stung by the Allan government’s “grubby” new property tax.

The Emergency Services Volunteer Fund levy – which replaces the current Fire Services Property Levy – will hit landlords, farmers and commercial businesses hard with the government trying to raise an extra $2bn over the forward estimates.

Treasurer Jaclyn Symes claimed volunteers would be exempt from paying the tax when it was first unveiled in December, however, it can now be revealed volunteers will have to pay the tax and lodge an application for a refund with the State Revenue Office – a process that can typically take up to two months.

It has also been revealed that the exemption is capped, which will likely leave farmers on the hook for huge sums.

Under the new ESVF property tax, farmers will be required to pay 83 cents per $1000 of value in the 2025-26 fiscal year, representing a three-fold increase.

A CFA or VicSES volunteer can apply for a maximum rebate of $4150, meaning many farmers across the state that own larger properties for livestock and cropping would be left with bills between $5000 and $10,000.

Treasurer Jaclyn Symes previously claimed volunteers would be exempt from paying the tax . Picture: David Caird

Opposition Treasurer James Newbury said: “Only a desperate and grubby government would promise to exempt our hardworking frontline emergency services volunteers from Labor’s great big new tax, and then screw them over with a process that makes the volunteers pay the tax upfront and then fill in a form to seek a delayed rebate.”

On Tuesday, Ms Symes defended the new levy saying local councils “did not want to deal with verifying exemptions”.

“So we will do it in a rebate, and we’re just working through the mechanics of that,” she said.

Ms Symes also defended taxing landlords at a higher rate, saying they “generally (have a) higher capacity to pay”.

Property Council Victorian executive director Cath Evans, however, said many landowners and rental providers were already buckling under the current land tax regime.

“Given the immense tax burden already carried by property owners, it’s inevitable this increased tax will need to be passed through to renters and occupiers, increasing cost-of-living pressures when they can least afford it,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Desperate and grubby’: Volunteers to cough up for new levy