Sussan Ley, the deputy opposition leader, has clarified her earlier comments about the Coalition’s stance on Labor’s revamped tax cuts. She stated that the opposition’s position is to support the existing stage-three arrangements but denied promising to repeal them. This clarification comes in response to a Labor campaign suggesting that the Coalition will claw back low and middle-income tax relief.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is set to address the National Press Club on Thursday to defend Labor’s change of policy on stage three and promise “broader and better tax cuts” that will benefit taxpayers earning less than $150,000 a year. Ley’s comments were made in response to a question about whether the Coalition would “roll back whatever changes are made” if they win the election.
Ley accused Labor of breaching its election commitment and argued that Albanese’s credibility is in “tatters” due to the deliberate “lie” about supporting stage three. On Thursday, Chalmers accused the Coalition of playing “mindless, nasty, negative politics” and stated that their policy is to jack up taxes on middle Australia to pay for an even bigger tax cut for people on high incomes.
Ley clarified her position on Thursday, stating that she did not say that the Coalition will roll back Labor’s new proposal. She emphasized that the stage-three tax cuts should be implemented as designed and endorsed by the Australian people at the last election. She also rejected Labor’s justification for changing the tax cuts, arguing that cuts that will last for decades should not be decided by ”cyclical” factors such as wars and interest rate rises.
Under the tax changes, the lowest rate of tax on income from $18,200 to $45,000 will be lowered from 19% to 16%. Albanese will tell the National…
2024-01-24 18:21:35
Link from www.theguardian.com