❓ Mrs. Roberts questions the Treasurer about payroll tax changes and broken election promises, while Mr. Porter avoids direct answers, focusing on broader tax data and accusing her of misinterpreting ABS figures.
AnsweredQoN 254Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PAYROLL TAX
I note the Premier’s comments yesterday on ABC radio that no change would be made to the payroll tax regime in next month’s budget and to the fact that Western Australians are the highest taxed people in Australia. (1) Was the Premier right when he said the budget would contain no changes to the threshold or rate for payroll tax? (2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER
I note the Premier’s comments yesterday on ABC radio that no change would be made to the payroll tax regime in next month’s budget and to the fact that Western Australians are the highest taxed people in Australia. (1) Was the Premier right when he said the budget would contain no changes to the threshold or rate for payroll tax? (2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(1) Was the Premier right when he said the budget would contain no changes to the threshold or rate for payroll tax? (2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(1) Was the Premier right when he said the budget would contain no changes to the threshold or rate for payroll tax? (2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(2) Why has his government betrayed small business by breaking his election promise to provide tax cuts? (3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(3) Why did the government abandon Labor’s planned $510 million of tax cuts to small business? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
(1)–(3) I invite this interjection from the member because she has made a fairly strong allegation that we are the highest taxing state in Australia. Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : That was recorded. Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I wonder on what basis she makes that allegation. Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr E.S. Ripper : The Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Is that it? Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr T.R. Buswell : You rejected that measure. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed. Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr E.S. Ripper : So did you. Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Let us go through that. Did the member notice — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Are you going to answer the question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I might actually, after this one. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Excellent; it will be a change. Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : Is the member ready? When the member looked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that came out yesterday, did she read it? Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : I was asking you about the rate and threshold of payroll tax. My question was about what the Premier said on radio. You know that. Are you going to answer that question? Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I am getting there. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You are going to answer questions different from the question I have asked; it is what you do every day. You answer the question you have prepared; not the question you have been asked. The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : Take a seat, Treasurer. I am sure the Treasurer is going to answer the question. I have no control over how the Treasurer chooses to answer questions. I do not think anyone else has any control over it except the Treasurer. I am looking forward to the answer. Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr F.M. Logan interjected. Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I can take just about anything, but slurs against lawyers are outrageous! The ABS data is not a measure — Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Will the $510 million worth of tax cuts — The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, if you want to ask a supplementary question, I will give you that opportunity. If you want to hear the answer to the question you have asked, might I suggest you desist from interjecting. Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : If my answer makes the member for Midland look bad, I still get to give it. That is the rules of this place. If the member for Midland reads the top line of the ABS data it says, “State and local government taxation per capita”. Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Big deal. Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : This is the state government; earlier we had a question about local government. That ABS table shows us that, whilst our rate of per capita taxation as a state government is high, indeed the second highest—the same as it was under the opposition over there; the government is over here—it was exactly the same ranking for state government taxation. When we add local government taxation, or local rates, it pushes WA, per capita, to the top of the list. The member for Midland may find that to be an interesting indication about the extent of local government rates in WA—she might want to have another look at that data. What is important here is that there are certain measures of tax competitiveness. Those measures are very important, and there are three that we use: tax per capita; tax as a share of gross state product and the tax effort calculated by the Commonwealth Grants Commission. I concede to the member that Western Australia has a high tax per capita. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You know that the question is about payroll tax and whether you told lies in this document. Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : I listened to the question. The member’s question was about tax rates per capita and she got it wrong. Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mrs M.H. Roberts : It wasn’t; there were three questions and that wasn’t one of them. Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : The entire premise — The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The SPEAKER : I am looking forward to the next four weeks! I am looking forward to the rest of the answer from the Treasurer. I am looking forward to just musing to myself, with no further interjections! Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
Mr C.C. PORTER : You, like the Prime Minister, are looking forward, Mr Speaker! There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
There are three measures of tax competitiveness. I concede that Western Australia rates highly on tax per capita compared with the other states and territories. As I noted, we are now second; we were second under the former Labor government. One of the reasons for that is that the tax per capita ratio looks high when there is a strong and growing economy. Our tax competitiveness on the other two measures is highly comparable to the rest of Australia. The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
The point of the member’s question is about payroll tax; I am well aware of the promise. I am also well aware that we have a term of government in which to fulfil that promise. But it was not that long ago that the member for Midland asked the same question in this place. The casus belli for that question was the Institute of Public Affairs tax review, which said, interestingly, that we are the most competitive state or territory in the Federation when it comes to business tax. Oddly enough, the member for Midland got up and asked a question about payroll tax. If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
If we summarise the member’s question today, she misrepresents per capita tax rates as being solely state government rates when they are state and local rates. She criticised us for having the same per capita tax rates as her government did, and then criticised us for business tax competitiveness, although we are the most competitive business tax jurisdiction in Australia. Good work; I hope the member has a busy four weeks!
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