Gippsland › Latest news › Liberal Nationals
New fresh food tax bill threatens higher living costs and will be detrimental to Gippsland families and farmers
Labor's lack of clarity on costs and implementation fuels opposition among agricultural groups and adds confusion to an already burdened sector.
Labor's legislation on a new fresh food tax has been introduced in Parliament, in a move that will increase the cost of living and hurt families and farmers. Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor's biosecurity protection levy will charge farmers for the biosecurity costs of importers bringing their product to Australia.
The Nationals oppose Labor's biosecurity levy, fearing higher expenses for farmers and families. More than 50 agricultural groups united in opposition, urging Prime Minister Albanese to reconsider
Labor's fresh food tax
Mr Littleproud said, "Labor's new fresh food tax is an extra cost that will hurt families even more at the checkout. Labor is treating Australian farmers with contempt and unfortunately farmers will inevitably be forced to pass new costs onto consumers."
Labor will set the tax rate as a proportion of an industry's average gross value of production over a three-year period. However, the policy follows a disingenuous consultation process and is expensive, confusing, risky and flawed, putting the entire voluntary levy system at risk.
Labor's legislation lacks any detail of the cost to farmers or how the levy will be collected. It is not clear what industry will have to pay. Labor's legislation also states the rate of the levy can be set to nil, in case the cost of collecting the levy in some sectors actually exceeds the revenue raised from it.
Uniting against Labor's tax
More than 50 agricultural representative groups previously signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressing unified opposition about the new tax. "In what parallel universe would any Australian government tax their own farmers, to pay for foreigners to bring their products into this country?"
"Labor needs to listen to the strong concerns raised by all Australian producers and their representative groups by scrapping the new tax immediately. Labor still needs to come up with exact costs and the rate they will be taxed. This has created more confusion and anxiety."
"Labor's new tax is messy and complicated and not even Labor can work it out. Labor is out of its depth and doesn't understand the industry, yet is still determined to tax our farmers and prioritise importers," he said. Mr Littleproud said Labor should drop the tax and instead mirror the Coalition's importer container levy. "The Nationals stand by our farmers and will fight this senseless new tax."
Confusion over levy collection
Australian Livestock & Property Agents Association Ltd Chief Executive Officer Peter Baldwin said 7000 collection agents have been left in the dark and are largely unaware they will have to collect the levy. "Agents who are overburdened already will have very little time to collect the levy - or the government's tax - and how to do so correctly," Mr Baldwin said.
"There is immense and utter confusion. If the biosecurity protection levy legislation suggests the collection agent will also have to provide the levy paper with an invoice, this will create a considerable regulatory burden."
Dunolly-based Victorian farmer Bev Walker said the biosecurity levy would also fail to provide farmers any benefit. "It's a tax we wouldn't have had, we are already paying levies. The people importing food are the ones that should be paying this levy. When you are slugging another levy it's not fair, especially when farmers are already doing it so tough right now." Mrs Walker said.
Pictures from Food & Fibre Gippsland Facebook page.
Source: http://gippsland.com/
Published by: news@gippsland.com
![](http://global.gippsland.com/myrp/images/new.gif)
Darren Chester promotes Mobile Service Centres that offer essential government services like Centrelink and Medicare across Gippsland
![](http://global.gippsland.com/myrp/images/new.gif)
Gippsland Water adds customer care pop-ups for in-person payment support in Sale, Drouin, Warragul for July and Moe in August 2024
Latrobe River Bridge at Tyers had completion delayed to August 2024 frustrating residents with safety concerns
Baw Baw Shire attends 2024 Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly in Canberra advocating peri urban areas
Enjoy free chicken parma while listening to inspiring story of Warren Davies South Gippsland Farmer on 22 July 2024 at Mirboo North Hotel
Join Latrobe City Council and Planet Ark for National Tree Day 2024 at W H Burrage Reserve in Newborough on 28 July 2024
Latrobe City Council requests Planning Panel for Amendment C144 for Traralgon West Precinct on 9 September 2024
Latrobe Valley clubs excelled at 2024 Community Clubs Victoria awards with Morwell and Moe clubs earning top honours
Warragul Leisure Centre $11M expansion of community sports facilities opens 28 July 2024