Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:23): (1145) My question is for the Treasurer. The last couple of years have been interesting, particularly for a libertarian, with more people from the community contacting my office regarding their tax obligations. The Treasurer would be very familiar with concerns about large escalations in land tax bills. A proportion of these have been disputed, but the State Revenue Office has a process where you have to pay the full liability and then dispute it. Somewhere down the road, if the dispute is upheld, you will receive a refund. I have had both individuals and businesses express frustration with this process, and people have expressed to me that the Australian Tax Office has a much fairer process to work with people to ensure the accuracy of their tax liabilities and assist in appropriate payment plans. What is the Treasurer doing to ensure fairness in the tax collection process of the SRO, particularly in relation to disputes?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:24): I thank Mr Limbrick for his question. Indeed there are a range of measures that enable people to question their tax assessments, particularly facilitated through the valuer-general in relation to the assessments that come through on the valuation of properties. That is something that has come through my office recently. I am making sure that we are having those conversations with the Minister for Planning to make sure people are aware of their rights. In relation to making sure that there are adequate opportunities for people to address their obligations, there are a range of payment plans and the like that can be provided for individuals. I will be very frank: I have lots of conversations with SRO. They come in regularly and we talk about trends and issues that are coming through the office, and I have an opportunity to present to them a lot of the correspondence that I have been getting. I get similar things, feedback similar to yours, so there are always ongoing conversations about changes or amendments that can make things easier for people. I have been down and spoken to SRO staff directly in their offices. They are really committed to making sure that people get adequate information and understand their obligations, and they can help when there are issues of hardship and the like.