Turnbull GST fail puts $367 million at risk in Tasmania

15 June 2018

Malcolm Turnbull has again failed to assure Tasmanians their fair share of the GST is safe, putting $367 million of the state’s revenue at risk.

 

Time and again the Prime Minister has failed to give an unequivocal assurance that Tasmania’s fair share of the GST is safe.

 

This week the Tasmanian Treasurer was briefed on the new GST distribution formula and transition arrangements.

 

The Prime Minister should have used his visit to Burnie to provide full disclosure to all Tasmanians about his intentions for their GST share. Instead he used weasel words and bleated about the Labor Party.

 

Labor’s policy does not change the current GST formula.

 

Today marks one month since the Turnbull Government received the Productivity Commission’s report into the GST distribution.

 

With Saul Eslake’s warning that Tasmania will lose $367 million in just one year based on the Prime Minister’s previous comments, it is imperative Turnbull comes clean on the state’s share and publicly releases the report.

 

Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull promised the report would be released within ‘weeks’, which they have failed to do.

 

If Tasmanians have nothing to worry about, Turnbull must release the report, commit to the principle of horizontal fiscal equalisation and guarantee Tasmania’s fair share of the GST is secure.

 

Tasmanians deserve better than Malcolm Turnbull’s word games.

 

Any change to Tasmania’s share of the GST would have a devastating impact on the state’s Budget and its already underfunded hospitals and schools.