Council lobbies state MPs to ditch fire services levy

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj says councils will be forced to play debt collector for Spring Street if the new tax passes.

The City of Geelong Council will begin lobbying upper house MP’s in an attempt to prevent the controversial new tax becoming law. Picture: Supplied.

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj has come out swinging against the state government’s proposed fire services levy, declaring council would lobby MPs hard against the controversial new tax.

The council estimated the levy, which will use ratepayers to finance a new emergency services volunteer fund, would leave all residents out of pocket by $80, farmers by an average of $1750 and industrial ratepayers by more than $500 over the next financial year

But the government said those numbers didn’t add up.

“Our ratepayers cannot bear these additional taxes, especially at a time when cost of living has never been so high,” Mr Kontelj said.

Mr Kontelj also called upon the State Government “to stop using councils as their tax collection agencies”, saying ratepayers were already being slugged for the existing fire services levy which cost them more than $36,000 last financial year.

Mr Kontelj slammed the state government’s tax, and has committed to lobbying against it as it prepares to go to a vote in the upper house. Picture: supplied.

In response to the Mayor’s announcement, a government spokesman said the average farm would only have to pay $13, adding a rebate would also be made available for volunteer emergency workers.

“We have made it clear we will administer the rebate for eligible CFA and VICSES members and provide additional funding to support councils in the implementation of the fund,” he said.

The spokesman also confirmed the government would continue to work with the council on implementing the levy, but emphasised the figures provided do not match the costings put together by the state.

Local upper house Liberal MP Beverley McArthur said she was pleased to see the mayor take a strong stance against the levy.

“Local councils are being forced to play the role of debt collectors for Spring Street, saddled with admin costs for a tax they didn’t impose,” she said.

“The State sees fit to cap each council’s own rate rises at 2.75 per cent – yet here they are, forcing local government to face the backlash for collecting a State tax hiked by up to 109 per cent,” she added.

Ms McArthur also dismissed the exemption for volunteers as “complex, questionable and completely under-resourced,” saying “it’s a disgrace that regional Victoria will bear the heaviest burden in this rates hike, yet receive no guarantee that funding will come back to their own areas”.

Liberal Member for Western Victoria Beverley McArthur slammed the levy and implored other councils to follow Geelongs lead. Picture: Supplied.

United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall said the tax would do little to improve the dire state of fire services resourcing in the region.

“Jacinta Allan is attempting to introduce a new tax that will sting homeowners and landholders for more than $600 million a year on top of the existing levy without an extra dollar going to our Fire Services,” he said.

“In fact, as part of the reforms, the Allan Government will change the law to remove minimum funding for fire services.”

Originally published as Council lobbies state MPs to ditch fire services levy