LABOR MUST FIGHT FOR QUEENSLAND’S GST FAIR SHARE
- Annastacia Palaszczuk is failing to stand up for Queensland on critical GST debate
- Premier must reject any changes to way GST is distributed that will hurt Queenslanders
- Only the LNP is fighting to protect GST revenue flowing to Queenslanders
Liberal National Party Leader Tim Nicholls has today rejected calls for changes to the way GST is distributed that have the potential to hurt Queensland.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk should stop the fake electioneering and actually stand up for Queensland on this important issue,” Mr Nicholls said.
“How can this Premier be trusted to fight for our fair share of GST revenue when in 2015 she couldn’t even answer what the GST rate was?
“The Productivity Commission has today put forward a number of draft recommendations looking at the way GST is distributed across the states and territories.
“Any changes to the way each state’s GST share is calculated must not come at the expense of Queenslanders.
“This is an important issue, with GST payments making up more than a quarter of total revenue in Queensland.
“Under Labor debt in Queensland is heading past $80 billion and we have fiscal deficits totalling $11.5 billion over the forward years.
“Queenslanders are already paying the price of Labor’s budget mismanagement – the last thing they need is a weak-kneed response from a do-nothing Premier that starves our state of the funds it deserves.”
Mr Nicholls said only the LNP Opposition had actually written to the Prime Minister proposing those states that don’t develop their gas reserves should be made to pay when it comes to GST distribution.
“Those states are effectively sucking like leeches on Queensland’s gas reserves and should be penalised for lacking the political courage to develop their gas industry,” he said.
“We already know where Pauline Hanson and One Nation stand on this issue – they want to give Queensland’s GST revenue to Western Australia.
“Only the LNP will put Queensland jobs, businesses and taxpayers first.”
