Matthew Guy reveals payroll tax rate cut at Liberal election launch

SOME businesses would pay a payroll tax rate of just one per cent if the Coalition wins the election, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has announced at his party’s campaign launch.

REGIONAL businesses would pay a payroll tax rate of just one per cent if the Coalition wins the election, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has announced at his party’s campaign launch.

In a bid to hone his attack on Daniel Andrews, Mr Guy also revealed plans to hold an independent judicial inquiry into Labor’s rorts-for-votes scheme.

The major Liberal tax reform would see about 4000 regional businesses save an average of $11,633 a year by slashing the current payroll tax rate in regional areas from 2.425 per cent.

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Mr Guy told Liberal Party faithful in Ivanhoe that, if elected, his government would cut taxes to help “get back in control of population growth by decentralising our jobs and our population”

“My vision for Victoria is to be a state of cities and not a city state,” he said.

“We need population growth in the right areas, at the right time. Victoria can’t afford four more years of Labor’s unplanned, unmanaged population growth.”

State Opposition leader Matthew Guy addresses the party faithful. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Opposition Matthew Guy and his son at the Victorian Liberal Party launch. AAP Image/James Ross

The Coalition is also promising a broader taxation review to see if further changes can be made to decentralise the state.

While the Liberal Party tried to keep the location of its campaign launch under wraps, about a dozen protesters in lobster costumes still arrived, as well as a mobile anti-pokies billboard.

Liberal MP Ryan Smith, who is on the party’s campaign committee, told members he was “blown away” by their efforts so far, with more than 700,000 calls made and 315,000 homes door-knocked.

Mr Guy said he had signed the new Coalition agreement with Nationals leader Peter Walsh this morning, vowing it would bring stability and unity, as opposed the threat of the “chaos and dysfunction and lurch to the left that a Labor-Greens alliance would bring”.

Protesters outside the Liberal Party's official state election campaign launch. AAP Image/James Ross

In a rousing speech, the Opposition Leader honed in on his key election campaign themes of making Victoria safe again, lowering the cost of living, controlling population growth and reducing traffic congestion.

“It’s time for Victorians to get back in control and ensure we don’t give a rotten, lying, rorting government a second chance,” Mr Guy said.

“I will be the Premier of Victoria for every Victorian … Something needs to change in Victoria. Let’s start with changing the government.”

Former Liberal premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine attended the launch, along with new federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Twitter: @tminear