Scott Morrison rejects calls for split tax bill

Scott Morrison is determined to take an all-or-nothing approach on the government’s $140bn tax package.

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison. Picture: AAP.

Scott Morrison has declared the budget has been well-received by the public as he doubled down on the government’s determination to take an all or nothing approach to its $140 billion income tax package.

The Treasurer said the budget had been received as a credible plan for a stronger economy following today’s Newspoll showing it was the best received budget since 2007, with more people believing it would make them better off than worse off.

“Our budget is a plan for a stronger economy and the budget is being well received as a plan for a stronger economy. A plan for lower, simpler and fairer taxes for all Australians. A plan to see businesses grow and invest in more jobs,” Mr Morrison said.

.@ScottMorrisonMP: Under our plan someone on an average full time wage will pay less tax, under Labor, they will pay more tax. Labor has provided a political response to the budget, not an economic response. Bill Shorten is not believable.

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— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 13, 2018

Mr Morrison rejected fresh calls in The Australian this morning by crossbench senators and the Labor Party to split the income tax bill so the parliament could immediately give tax relief to people earning less than $90,000.

“This is a full plan, this is a plan that has been well thought through which delivers tax relief for all Australians,” Mr Morrison said.

“What Labor have done is just given a political response to the budget. It’s not an economic response. It’s a pre-election thing that politicians do, that’s what you got from Bill Shorten. I mean, remember at the last election he said, ‘we’re going to sell Medicare’, for goodness sake, it was a bold-faced lie. Bill Shorten is not believable. He’s not believable.

“We will continue to work constructively and respectfully with the crossbenchers to demonstrate how this plan delivers for all Australians, that it actually gives all Australians an encouragement and a reward for the effort they put in and the certainty of getting that tax relief over the next seven years.”

Liberal MP Tim Wilson said today’s Newspoll result shows Malcolm Turnbull is the government’s strongest electoral asset.

Mr Wilson, a moderate Victorian MP, said the Prime Minister’s improved standing relative to Bill Shorten showed the public viewed the Coalition’s leader favourably.

“The Newspoll clearly shows that the prime minister is the government’s strongest asset with the public in terms of the attitude and the reception he receives, and the good will that is given to him,” Mr Wilson told Sky News.

.@timwilsoncomau: The Newspoll really shows that the prime minister is the government’s strongest asset with the public, in terms of the attitude and reception he receives and the good will that’s given to him.

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— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) May 13, 2018

“It also highlights that the biggest problem the opposition has is Bill Shorten because nobody trusts him because of his shift and shady past.

“So of course we are going to be encouraged by them but it is one poll and the real work of government is on the substance of policy delivery including things like the budget which is delivering tax relief to Australian households.”

Opposition communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said voters would begin to view Labor’s tax plan more favourably with time.

“I think as Australians start to realise the choices this government has made with this budget and contrast them to what Labor is offering I think they will come to see that the better deal is under Labor,” Ms Rowland told Sky News.

“It will take some time for those messages to get out, I think the government is clearly patting itself on the back and saying ‘job done’ when it comes to the budget but so many questions remain including the structural deficit that we still have.”