Greens Leader Adam Bandt says Labor’s Stage 3 tax cuts for billionaires and the wealthy must be on the agenda at the Jobs and Skills Summit, just as taxation policy was on the agenda at Bob Hawke’s national summit.
Responding to the release of the summit’s Issues Paper, Mr Bandt said trying to have a discussion about the nation’s economic challenges without mentioning the revenue hole caused by Labor’s Stage 3 tax cuts just didn’t make sense.
Bob Hawke’s summit sought “to seek broad agreement on the relationship between a successful prices and incomes policy and the implementation of policies on industrial relations, job creation and training, taxation, social security, health, education, and the other major community services”.
Mr Bandt said:
“It seems reversing Stage Three tax cuts is on everyone’s lips except the Treasurer’s.”
“The Jobs Summit Issues Paper doesn’t use the word tax once.”
“At this summit, Labor’s giant Stage 3 tax cuts for billionaires and the wealthy will be the elephant in the room and the Treasurer will need stage curtains to hide it.”
“Bob Hawke understood that you can’t discuss workers’ wellbeing without discussing taxation.”
“We can’t talk about tackling the wages and skills crisis without talking about the income inequality and restriction on government spending that the unfair Stage 3 tax cuts will cause.”
“Labor is spending $224b on Stage 3 tax cuts to the wealthy, but that amount of money could deliver immediate cost of living relief and make workers’ lives better by making childcare free, getting dental into Medicare and helping build 1 million affordable homes instead.”
“The Greens will attend the government’s Jobs Summit to gain support for our plans to stop the Stage 3 tax cuts and invest in services instead to make people’s lives better.”