Government taxes
Mr WELLS (Rowville) (09:56): This statement condemns the Andrews Labor government’s reckless approach to spending and taxing, which is putting even more pressure on everyday expenses for the residents of the Rowville electorate. We can joke about the ridiculous price of lettuce, but rising prices create a lot of uncertainty for Victorians, whether making their budgets stretch at the supermarket or filling up at the service station. For families driving their kids to school or driving to work the impact of sky-high petrol prices is made worse by Labor’s plan to take in more tax over the next four years from registration fees, state government taxes on car insurance, stamp duty and vehicle registration transfers. Victorians buying or moving house will be hit harder by stamp duty or land tax as well as a number of planning and development taxes, which will heap pressure on housing costs.
Even after two years of a pandemic the Andrews government have not stopped their lavish spending. Public sector salaries will cost Victorians $33.18 billion, more than the $32.8 billion in tax revenue that Victoria expects to receive this year. Labor has overspent by more than $28 billion on projects, an absolute mess of mismanaged contracts and unrealistic promises. Any chance of the government keeping its promise of a budget surplus in four years looks ridiculous, especially with inflation on the rise and predictions of still higher interest rates to come. Instead, the Andrews Labor government’s big spending has left nothing in reserve.