John Tucker launches attack on Tasmanian government over “diabolical” fire tax

He might be out of action because of a bulging disc but Liberal defector John Tucker has come out swinging against the government’s proposed “fire tax”.

Independent MP John Tucker speaks to the media on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Liberal turned independent John Tucker has launched a scathing attack on the government over its proposed emergency levy or “fire tax” saying he will vote against it because it will be “diabolical” for many Tasmanians, especially farmers.

But Fire and Emergency Management Minister Felix Ellis rejected suggestions farmers would be worse off, and said action was needed to deal with “a challenging future”.

Mr Tucker, who is recovering from a bulging disc and will not be in parliament for the rest of this year, accused the government of being “out of touch” and raising taxes to fund a “spending problem”.

He said in 2021 former Premier Peter Gutwein had said “you cannot tax your way to prosperity” and “we will not introduce any new taxes on Tasmanians”.

“Well, what are they doing? All they want to do is tax everyone,” Mr Tucker said.

Independent MP John Tucker says he will vote against the “fire tax”.

“We’ve now got the bin tax, a fire tax, a salmon tax, the parks tax, we’ve even got a power tax where they’re going to take $100m out of Hydro for a government that has a spending problem.”

As part of the government’s reforms to the Tasmania Fire Service and SES, which will be united, it is proposing two options for a levy which is currently collected by local councils.

One option is for a single-rate, the other for a two-tiered rate depending on whether people live in a rural or urban area.

Mr Ellis said the reforms would allow the doubling Tasmania’s fuel reduction program and implement a volunteer brigade standard to better protect life and property in rural communities.

“Rural communities are being hit hardest by extreme weather and natural disasters, with 90 per cent of Tasmania classed as bushfire prone and many subject to significant and frequent flood events,” he said.

“We are consulting on a model that will abolish the levy paid by farmers and other business who are insured by Australian companies, which raised $40 million last year.

“Farmers pay the same rate as other businesses currently, but one of our models will have farmers paying less than half the rate of other businesses to seek to spread the load more fairly.”

Mr Tucker said his main concern was that the changes were being made in “a cost of living crisis” and the economy which relied heavily on rural businesses would suffer.

At a recent livestock sale, he said farmers had received the same price for their cattle as they had 25 years ago.

“If they’re not doing well and then you put another tax on them, it’s just going to be diabolical.”