Traynors Lagoon CFA brigade hit with huge emergency services tax bill
The Victorian Government will be slug the 14 farming families running Traynors Lagoon CFA brigade with a $212,500 emergency services tax bill.
The Allan Government is about to slug Traynors Lagoon CFA brigade’s 14 farming families with a $212,500 emergency services tax bill from July 1.
The Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund tax is almost triple the $73,500 the brigade paid in fire services property levies this financial year.
Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said CFA and VicSES volunteers can claim a ESVF rebate on up to $5m of their farmland – about $4150 per farm, which still leaves the brigade facing a $154,000 tax bill or $11,000 per family.
Brigade captain Jason Barratt said at the end of the day “we’re paying a lot more for the privilege of fighting our own fires”.
“We won’t see better services. We’re just paying for a lot of public servants,” he said.
The brigade has a 36-year-old tanker, which Mr Barratt said could easily be replaced with a more modern second-hand model for a third of what its volunteers would pay in ESVF tax.
But rather than supporting CFA brigades Premier Jacinta Allan and her Treasurer Jaclyn Symes will use the extra funds to plug their budgetary holes.
The government will rake in an extra $616m under the new tax, lifting its take from $1.033bn in FSPL this financial year to $1.649bn under the ESVF in 2025-26.
However just $50m of the extra tax take will go towards boosting CFA, VicSES, Surf Live Saving Victoria and community coast guard volunteers funding.
Legislation introduced to Parliament earlier this month allows the government to use the ESVF tax to fund up to 95 per cent of Triple Zero Victoria, the State Control Centre, Emergency Management Victoria, Emergency Recovery Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria.
Traynors Lagoon volunteer Colin Coates said what the government was doing was “immoral”.
“This Labor Government doesn’t appreciate us, because they’re taxing us to the hilt and we can’t counter it.”
He said many “people don’t realise what’s going on” and won’t until their 2025-26 rates bill arrives.
Traynors Lagoon volunteer, farmer and local accountant Peter Knights said the brigades 14 farming families owned about 32,000ha, worth about $8000/ha.
Given the new ESVF rate for farmland will be set at 83 cents per $1000 of capital improved value, the brigade’s member will pay about $212,500 on a total CIV of $256m.
The estimate does not include the $276 fixed charge each farm must also pay.
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