with
STEPHEN JONES MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES
MEMBER FOR WHITLAM

Josh Frydenberg has again today repeatedly refused to rule out a hike to the GST in the middle of Australia’s first recession in three decades.
 
If the Morrison Government is considering an increase to the GST they need to come clean with Australians before the Eden-Monaro by-election.
 
Businesses and workers are being held hostage to the Morrison Government’s decision to keep their plans for the future of JobKeeper, the Superannuation Guarantee, and the GST secret until after the Eden-Monaro by-election is done and dusted.
 
If they’re going to jack up the GST, raid retirement incomes, and end JobKeeper too early they should just say so.
 
Today on Sky News the Treasurer failed on four occasions to rule out an increase in the GST, following yesterday’s release of the Federal Financial Relations Review draft report which recommended “lifting the GST rate.”
 
Labor is not in the cart for an increase to the GST which would hit those who can least afford it the hardest. 
 
All of this secrecy and uncertainty is acting as a hand brake on Australia’s recovery right as it is supposed to get going.
 
Businesses are already laying off workers because of the uncertainty surrounding the Morrison Government’s plans for the recovery.
 
Thousands of businesses and millions of workers across the country are increasingly anxious that they will be left out and left behind because of the Liberals’ bungling of key support programs like JobKeeper.
 
Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg should stop putting politics before people and come clean about their plans for JobKeeper, the Superannuation Guarantee and the GST before the Eden-Monaro by-election.
 
Vulnerable workers, businesses and communities need and deserve a comprehensive plan to get them through the recovery and alleviate some of their understandable anxiety.
 
THURSDAY, 2 JULY 2020