We know higher taxes are in Labor’s DNA, and in Parliament this morning, David O’Byrne was keen to talk about a ‘shack tax’ again.
Not that long ago, inspired by a Greens policy, Labor suggested Tasmanians should be subjected to a new vacant property tax.
Shack owners right across the state would have been smashed with thousands of dollars under Labor’s ‘shack tax’ – a direct and outrageous attack on the Tasmanian way of life.
Mr O’Byrne can pretend the shack tax idea wasn’t his, but he can’t change history.
To be crystal clear: the land tax rates have not increased – they remain the same, with the same calculation rules, and are an important part of the state’s revenue base, generating about $124 million in 2019-20.
Land tax is only based on the assessed land value and adjustment factors determined by the Valuer-General.
We know many Tasmanians are doing it tough due to the impacts of the pandemic, and that’s why we waived the final tranche of land tax accounts for 2019-20.
Anyone experiencing difficulty paying their land can apply to the Commissioner of State Revenue to defer lump sum payments and pay their land tax by instalments.
Meanwhile, today would be a great opportunity for Labor to publicly dump its shack tax, which is designed to punish shack owners for having an unrented shack.
Will Mr O'Byrne do it?