Council
30 January, 2025
MP calls out new taxes hitting rural communities
SOUTH West Coast MP Roma Britnell has hit out at tax increases which she fears will hit primary producers with a 170 per cent increase.
Ms Britnell said a rebadging of the Fire Services Property Levy (FSPL) as the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) would increase the amount collected from $1.033 billion this financial year to $1.649 billion in 2025-26.
Ms Britnell said she was concerned primary-producers would be hit the hardest, with a 59 per cent increase from 2023-24 and a 170 per cent increase from 2024-25
Ms Britnell said an exception on the tax for Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteers would only exempt their home, not the rest of their farming property.
“Farmers are being slugged a massive tax increase and offered a pittance of an exemption as a distraction,” she said.
“This is an insult to our farmers who volunteer.
“The Allan Labor Government have allocated $6 million to cover this exemption, which is an average of a measly $108 to each farmer.
“The government have sold farmers a pup, with the promise of an exemption. Also, only $21 million per annum will be provided to local brigades for truck upgrades and running costs.
“This $6 million cost of providing the volunteer exemption sits in stark contrast to the $1.033 billion the government will collect in FSPL this financial year, which will rise to $1.649 billion under its new ESVF in 2025-26 and $1.8bn in 2026-27.”
Ms Britnell said the exemption for the almost 29,000 CFA volunteers was “tokenistic” unless it extended to their entire farming land.
“It’s sneaky that the Allan Labor Government think they can fool farmers with a pitiful exemption on their primary place of residence,” she said.
“The new treasurer is either mathematically inept or has deliberately misrepresented the truth.
“The government figures were calculated on 168,000 primary producers, instead of the 30,000 farms in Victoria.
“This resulted in a grossly under-estimated cost per farmer.
“Many angry firefighters have contacted me after going to the Grampians fires. They volunteer to fight fires in extreme conditions. They are angry at the Allan Labor Government who are trying to fool them into believing they are being rewarded with this pitiful levy exemption.”
Ms Britnell said rural CFA volunteers, many of whom are farmers, possessed a wealth of knowledge which was essential in the rising threat of bushfires.
“Unlike the metropolitan brigades that are experts in structural fires, the CFA have very specialised capability required in rough terrain and have local expertise,” she said.
“CFA are often the first people on scene to tragic accidents on our country roads, as we’ve seen in the last few days.
“It’s traumatic to witness horrific scenes.”
“The Allan Labor Government is using farmers to raise funds to address the chasm of their gross financial mismanagement.
“The truth about this blatant revenue raising tax, is that it is to plug their years of mismanagement.”
Ms Britnell said she believed most of the funds raised would not even go back to the communities – and would instead be used to buoy government departments.
Among those concerned are also councillors, as the tax is collected by local government and is a line item on rates rises.
“Moyne Shire councillors are also rightfully outraged,” Ms Britnell said.
“The councillors are elected to represent their constituents, many of whom are farmers and CFA volunteers. Now they are the state government’s debt collectors.
“It’s weak of the Allan Labor Government to hide this blatant state tax as a local government charge on the rates notice and hiding behind local government, who have the unenviable task of collecting this ESVF tax.
“I am meeting with local government councillors and CFA to discuss and I intend to stand up against the Allan Labor Government and reject this blatant revenue raising tax.”
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