By Aaron Cordy
SINCE 2014 when Dan Andrews brought the Labor Party to power, Victorian taxpayers have been stung by 55 new or increased taxes by the government.
Land and property are a favourite of this government to tax, with a new stamp duty on property transfers between spouses, a new stamp duty on off-the-plan purchasers and a new ‘vacant home’ tax all being introduced in 2017-18, and more recently the government is using land tax to help reduce the Covid debt.
But their love for increasing taxes doesn’t end with property. Over the last nine years, the government has also added an environment mitigation levy, number plate tax, electric vehicle tax, mental health payroll tax surcharge, increase to the WorkCover average premium rate, increased luxury car tax, a new ‘on-dock rail charge on imported shipping containers, increased the payroll tax on businesses and added a 50 per cent increase to births, deaths and marriages fees because they want to make sure they squeeze people going in and out of this world, just to name a few of the 55 taxes introduced by the government.
The mental health payroll tax surcharge is an interesting one, as anyone reading the list of new taxes and increases will certainly feel an increased amount of mental strain as they try to keep abreast of paying for the government’s mistakes.
Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has repeatedly hit out at the government’s stance on adding new and increased taxes in Victoria.
“Labor can’t manage money, and Victorians are paying the price. Labor is making the cost-of-living crisis even harder for families by squeezing them with new taxes to pay for the government’s own financial mismanagement. Since 2014 Labor have introduced 55 new or increased taxes, and Victorians can expect to see more new taxes soon,” said Ms Lovell
The electric vehicle tax (2021) was a debacle that went against the grain of the world movement for renewable energy, which came back to bite the government in November 2023 when a high court ruled the tax invalid, and the government was made to repay electric vehicle drivers millions of dollars.
Regional communities are often worst affected by decisions made at Parliament House, and small businesses are constantly dealt bad hands by the government which has left many business owners closing.
The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe was staggered at the government’s Short Stay Levy Bill, which will apply to all bookings from January 1, 2025. Especially as it will hurt regional towns still trying to recover after Covid.
“Labor’s latest cash grab on short-stay rentals has once again highlighted Victoria’s desperate financial position. Instead of supporting their recovery, Labor is making it harder by taking more money away,” Mrs O’Keeffe said.
The insult to all Victorians by the government’s tax grabbing is the knowledge that taxpayers shelled out $600M for the Commonwealth Games farce which will run in Glasgow for hundreds of millions of dollars less. Victorians will have to imagine the benefits that money could have made to their lives, while they ‘admire’ a bronze statue of Dan Andrews and continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.
