Mr. Wyatt questions the Treasurer about land tax increases and their impact on families, citing a concerned voter's email. The Treasurer defends the increases as necessary due to revenue shortfalls and criticizes the opposition's lack of solutions.

AnsweredQoN 78Legislative Assembly
Asked
24 February 2016
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

LAND TAX — RATE INCREASE
78. Mr B.S. WYATT to the Treasurer:
I have a supplementary question. I refer to the email received by the
Treasurer, me and the member for Mount Lawley on Saturday from, I quote, ''a
concerned Liberal voter'', who talked about a 50 per cent increase in
his land tax liability on the base of a negligible valuation increase. In fact,
and I quote, he said, ''That has had a massive financial strain on my
family.'' Does the Treasurer's answer now confirm the view that
his land tax increases impose massive financial strains on families across Western
Australia?

AnswerView source ↗

We do raise taxes, and when the government gets a cut of $17 billion,
particularly in iron ore royalties and GST payments, it has to do something. It
is called leadership. The revenue has to be collected. People on the other side
whine and whinge about our deficits and whine and whinge about our attempts to
close the deficit, through either efficiency measures or tax measures—but
we are in government, and we have to make tough decisions. We do not like
increases in taxes. I know sometimes it has a big impact on families. It is
called being in government, and leadership. What we see from the other side is
they have not a clue. You cannot whine and whinge your way into government. You
cannot whine and whinge your way through government. You have no clue or
people.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : You have done it before.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Albany, I do not want to hear from you. Treasurer, have
you finished the answer?
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Yes.

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