City of Yarra to debate proposal not to collect Allan government’s emergency services levy

The City of Yarra may refuse to be part of Labor’s controversial emergency services levy, with its mayor fearing councils risk becoming simply collectors of unpopular state taxes.

The rural revolt over the Allan government’s Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund cash grab has moved to the inner city, with Yarra City Council to debate a proposal to refuse to collect the unpopular tax and mount a legal challenge against it.

Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly said he would fight the introduction of the new levy because it was “a line in the sand moment” where councils risked simply becoming collectors of unpopular state taxes.

“(Premier) Jacinta Allan is making us add to the rates to collect the emergency services levy to pay for all sorts of stuff,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of work (at Yarra council) to reduce the cost of living burden for residents and businesses and now they are going to cop a huge whack in their next rates notice because of this emergency services levy.

“We want to see if we can put a legal challenge because we want to stop it – this is a line in the sand moment.”

Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly fears councils could be turned into debt collectors for Jacinta Allan.

Mr Jolly said he was worried what the Allan Government would force upon councils next, if the emergency services levy was lumped on them.

“We’re not going to take this lightly – because if we do it will just whet Jacinta Allan’s appetite,” he said.

Mr Jolly said that the Allan Government had reduced the planning powers of councils while also making them responsible for collecting more state revenue.

“If that’s the future for councils in Victoria then she should just close them all down,” he said.

The proposal, which will be debated by Yarra councillors on June 17, includes the council seeking legal advice as to whether it can refuse to collect the new levy or mount a legal challenge against its introduction.

The Allan government has paused the introduction of the tax for farmers for one year following backlash in country areas. Picture: Aaron Francis

It also calls for Yarra council to “reach out to other councils and interested groups to build a mass alliance against this levy”.

A Victorian Government spokesman said the new levy would make sure “emergency services have the sustainable funding and equipment they need to keep Victorians safe”.

“Every single dollar raised by the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund goes back into our emergency services — as enshrined in legislation,” he said.

The new levy has incensed rural communities across Victoria, with some property owners predicted to pay an increase of 150 per cent compared to the old fire services levy.

Hundreds of farmers and rural volunteer firefighters descended on the Victorian parliament last month to protest against the financial impact of the new emergency services levy – particularly for drought-ravaged communities.

The ongoing protests against the new levy forced the Allan Government to backtrack and pause its introduction for one year for farmers, but Victorians who do not own a primary production property will need to pay this year.

The spokesman said the previous fire services levy was introduced by the former Liberal Government and had “been collected by local councils for years”.