Queenslanders slugged while Labor pockets waste tax

The biggest new tax of the second term of the Palaszczuk Labor Government has been rammed through Parliament with nearly two dozen MPs gagged from speaking.

The devastating waste tax, which remained secret until after the State election, will rip $1.3 billion from the pockets of Queensland families.

LNP Environment Spokesman David Crisafulli said the guillotining of debate prevented scrutiny of what is a tax grab under the veil of environmental reform.

“This waste tax was a con job from the start and now Labor have gagged MPs, who were unable to speak about the hammer blow it will have on their communities and councils,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Barely 10 per cent of the money raised from this tax will go towards environmental programs for Queenslanders. The rest will go to government, including into Treasury coffers.

“These laws will tax Queenslanders from Cairns to Currumbin just so Labor’s reckless spending spree can continue.”

Mr Crisafulli said the waste tax was on top of four new taxes inflicted on Queenslanders in Labor’s Budget.

“Labor’s new tax will slug Queenslanders $75 per tonne of waste,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“For a waste tax to have any environmental benefit,clearly more funds have to go to environmental initiatives and not to line the State Government’s pockets.

“This is not a waste solution based on good consultation – it’s simply a blatant $1.3 billion tax grab from Labor.

“Regional Queensland families are going to bare the brunt of a tax that was sold to us as being a way of stopping interstate waste going to a handful of facilities in Ipswich.”

“An LNP Government led by Deb Frecklington will not introduce any new taxes.”