Labor’s latest new tax, the emergency services levy, is currently sitting between chambers in State Parliament with the Liberals and Nationals hoping to garner enough support to have it defeated on resumption.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, said the tax was also heavily opposed by both East Gippsland and Wellington Shire Councils as it will see an additional $2.1 billion ripped out of Victorians’ pockets over the next three years, with councils forced to act as the State’s tax collector via rate notices.

“In an attempt to scuttle this next sitting week, we have launched the “Scrap The Tax” campaign, which notes:

• Farmers face a massive 189 per cent rise in payments.
• Household contributions almost double.
• It creates an additional cost that will be passed on to renters.
• Commercial rates will increase by 100 per cent on average.
• Industrial rates will soar by 64 per cent.

“Labor claims this is to fund services like the SES and Triple Zero, and while they’re critically important services we support, they have always been funded out of consolidated revenue.

“This is just another grab to prop up the bottom line that will soon see us with a debt of $187 billion and interest repayments of $1 billion every six weeks.

“In addition to simply hitting us again financially with a new tax rather than continue to fund these important agencies out of general revenue, there are no guarantees the money will go to frontline services ahead of more backroom staff in the city.”

Mr Bull urged all who wished to stop the implementation of this tax to visit scrapthetax.com.au.

Thursday, April 17 2025