❓ Mr. Buswell questions the Treasurer about the impact of land tax assessment timing on the state's surplus, citing significant increases. The Treasurer dismisses the timing as irrelevant and defends the government's surplus management and investment strategy, contrasting it with the opposition's record.
AnsweredQoN 931Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LAND TAX AND METROPOLITAN REGIONAL IMPROVEMENT TAX ASSESSMENTS
I have a supplementary question. Given reports of individual land tax assessment increases of more than 200 per cent, is it not the case that if land tax assessments had been sent out at the same time as they have been for the past five years, the surplus for the first quarter would have been around $565 million? The SPEAKER : Order! The member for Vasse has been here a short time, so I inform him that that sort of preamble should not be attached to supplementary questions. A supplementary question is just that; it is an addition to what has been already asked and should not require any of that preamble. Given that the substance of the question is basic, I give the call to the Treasurer. Mr E.S. RIPPER
I have a supplementary question. Given reports of individual land tax assessment increases of more than 200 per cent, is it not the case that if land tax assessments had been sent out at the same time as they have been for the past five years, the surplus for the first quarter would have been around $565 million? The SPEAKER : Order! The member for Vasse has been here a short time, so I inform him that that sort of preamble should not be attached to supplementary questions. A supplementary question is just that; it is an addition to what has been already asked and should not require any of that preamble. Given that the substance of the question is basic, I give the call to the Treasurer. Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The SPEAKER : Order! The member for Vasse has been here a short time, so I inform him that that sort of preamble should not be attached to supplementary questions. A supplementary question is just that; it is an addition to what has been already asked and should not require any of that preamble. Given that the substance of the question is basic, I give the call to the Treasurer. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The SPEAKER : Order! The member for Vasse has been here a short time, so I inform him that that sort of preamble should not be attached to supplementary questions. A supplementary question is just that; it is an addition to what has been already asked and should not require any of that preamble. Given that the substance of the question is basic, I give the call to the Treasurer. Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The question of timing is irrelevant. There is a formal process by which we produce a new estimate for the financial out-turn for a financial year. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
The SPEAKER : Order! Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : That process is the midyear review. The information that will be published in the midyear review will not be contaminated by timing differences. In the meantime, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition seems to object to the idea that the government has a budget surplus. Coming from his side of politics, I can understand that, because his government delivered five budget deficits out of eight. No wonder members opposite want to attack our surplus. I say to the people of Western Australia that the surplus is an investment in the future. We use every single dollar of that surplus to reduce debt - this state has the lowest debt on record - before we use surplus dollars in investment in infrastructure. We are budgeting for tomorrow, not just for today. We are not short-term, knee-jerk or opportunistic managers like the current temporary Deputy Leader of the Opposition. We are investing in the future, and the surplus is a very important part of that investment.
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