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Budget fallout: Turnbull defends tax plan as Shorten prepares response – politics live Budget fallout: Turnbull defends tax plan as Shorten prepares response – politics live
(35 minutes later)
And here is where the battle lines will be drawn - what the government wants to happen in seven years time. Mark Dreyfus was on ABC radio, speaking all things byelections and preselection processes, after the high court tightened the reasonable steps responsibilities yesterday:
Malcolm Turnbull: Well certainly all the constitutional experts have made clear over the last 24 hours, it’s going to change preselection processes, they’re going to have to be dragged right back because people will have to put in train getting rid of any dual citizenship issues much earlier and for some countries that can take a very very long time. Even Britain, the average time is around four months. There are countries in the world which take years to do this. The concern that’s been expressed by a lot of experts is that this disadvantages millions of Australians who are dual citizens or may be dual citizens and that’s why there is talk about a referendum.”
Well, we have a very progressive tax system and people on higher incomes pay more tax than people on lower incomes, in fact a lot more tax. Let me give you an example so after our reforms are fully in place, you know, ,someone earning $200,000 will pay12.5 times more income tax thans omeone on $41,000. Basically, anyone thinking of ever entering politics, who holds dual citizenship, should probably divest themselves of their foreign citizenship now.
Someone earning $200,000 will have an average tax rate of more than 30%. So average all of their income, someone on $31,000 will have an average tax rate of 11%. Speaking of Sky, independent senator Tim Storer just had a chat to Samantha Maiden, and said that while he supports phase one of the government’s tax plan – the $530 tax offset – he is not overly comfortable with the other steps: the abolition of the 37% tax bracket and the flat rate for earners between $41,000 and $200,000.
The personal income tax total collections are paid by the few, not the many and that will remain the same. So, if you regard the high income earners as the people in the top tax which is 45 cents in the dollar plus the two cents for the Medicare levy, 47 cents, that’s a high marginal rate. “If all of the package is together, it is not appropriate and I will not support it,” he said.
“... We are saying in seven years time, that should be increased to 200,000 to take into account, inflation and otherwise, you’re going to have school principals and police superintendents, many people you would not regard as being multi-millionaires or billionaires coming into the top marginal rate. Given Storer’s examination of the company tax cuts, I really can’t see him voting for something that doesn’t have numbers attached to it, which the $140bn plan doesn’t. While it is set in the never-never, it doesn’t lay out how much the year-on-year cost would be. So we don’t know how much of that $140bn is going to come out of revenue in year five, six, seven, etc. That’s a problem for a lot of people.
And now everything tax, tax, tax is also all things byelection. Tanya Plibersek has also apologised, telling Sky “it’s not good, we are very sorry that people have to go through these byelections”.
Well, there there are by-elections are always tough for the government, for an incumbent government whatever political stripe, but we will see,” Malcolm Turnbull said. Deputy Opposition Leader @tanya_plibersek: I think the new citizenship interpretation means politicians will need to reassess the judgement they've made in the past. MORE: https://t.co/jeOwW3rMHC #FirstEdition pic.twitter.com/bbBpk9aXti
“Obviously this is going to be a very big test for Bill Shorten. He asserted that his party’s vetting processes were rolled gold, even after the high court made it very clear in the Canavan decision last year that the position of the labor MPs in the House of Representatives was untenable. They made it very clear, he insisted that they were OK. They did not resign. He took no responsibility for their position. Of clear ineligibility and then the High Court simply reconfirmed in the Gallagher case yesterday what they said in the Canavan case in October.” Tony Burke also had a chat to the ABC this morning. After Bill Shorten was criticised for not apologising yesterday for the cost and inconvenience of the additional high court case and byelections, Burke was the first to say sorry:
Oh, I do have to say, obviously we’re really sorry it has turned out this way. We didn’t want there to be the inconvenience to the public or the costs that’s involved in byelections and if we had any way of knowing that what had been thought to be a settled approach was wrong, then we, you know, we would have had different systems in place before the election and we’ll have different systems in place now.
In terms of the byelections themselves, though, you know, we are there absolutely for a fight, focusing on a government that keeps wanting to deliver for the top end of town. And, you know, yesterday in question time, I think said it all.
They won’t even tell us how many the big business tax cut now costs. They won’t tell us how much the income tax cut beyond the first part of the announcement – which is the bit everybody supports – they won’t tell us how much the rest of it costs, but want to, year-by-year they want us to vote for it anyway.
The budget papers put $11m on the cost of the high court cases in the last financial year.
Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, just having a casual cuppa with seniors in Queanbeyan this morning.
And here is where the battle lines will be drawn – what the government wants to happen in seven years’ time. Malcolm Turnbull:
Well, we have a very progressive tax system and people on higher incomes pay more tax than people on lower incomes, in fact a lot more tax. Let me give you an example: so after our reforms are fully in place, you know, someone earning $200,000 will pay 12.5 times more income tax than someone on $41,000.
Someone earning $200,000 will have an average tax rate of more than 30%. So average all of their income, someone on $31,000 will have an average tax rate of 11%.The personal income tax total collections are paid by the few, not the many and that will remain the same.
So, if you regard the high income earners as the people in the top tax, which is 45c in the dollar plus the 2c for the Medicare levy – 47c, that’s a high marginal rate.
... We are saying in seven years’ time, that should be increased to $200,000 to take into account, inflation and otherwise. You’re going to have school principals and police superintendents, many people you would not regard as being multimillionaires or billionaires coming into the top marginal rate.
And now everything tax, tax, tax is also all things byelection. Malcolm Turnbull:
Well, byelections are always tough for the government, for an incumbent government whatever political stripe, but we will see.
Obviously this is going to be a very big test for Bill Shorten. He asserted that his party’s vetting processes were rolled gold, even after the high court made it very clear in the Canavan decision last year that the position of the labor MPs in the House of Representatives was untenable.
They made it very clear, he insisted that they were OK. They did not resign. He took no responsibility for their position. Of clear ineligibility and then the high court simply reconfirmed in the Gallagher case yesterday what they said in the Canavan case in October.
Malcolm Turnbull was on ABC radio earlier this morning, and it was all about tax, tax, tax.Malcolm Turnbull was on ABC radio earlier this morning, and it was all about tax, tax, tax.
This is Australian’s money. You see this is the big difference between our approach and Bill Shorten’s approach. Bill Shorten regards a reduction in tax as a giveaway by the government. He thinks that the money that Australians earn belongs to the government and that it is the government that allows them to keep whatever is not grabbed in tax. He wants to go after pensioners savings, he wants to go after, he wants to increase tax on small businesses, he wants to go after trusts, he wants to go after one target after another. $200 billion of additional taxes. This is Australians’ money. You see this is the big difference between our approach and Bill Shorten’s approach. Bill Shorten regards a reduction in tax as a giveaway by the government. He thinks that the money that Australians earn belongs to the government and that it is the government that allows them to keep whatever is not grabbed in tax. He wants to go after pensioners savings, he wants to go after, he wants to increase tax on small businesses, he wants to go after trusts, he wants to go after one target after another – $200bn of additional taxes.
What we’re saying is that hardworkingAustralian families, particularly middle income Australian families deserve to keep more of the money they earn. It is their money. That’s why they are getting, they’re getting support in the first stage. They’re getting the support in the first stage and then as the tax reform rolls out, we’re going to to get to the point, what a huge reform, 94% of Australians will know that if they go out and earn an extra dollar, they won’t pay more than 32.5 cents in the dollar. That’s a huge reform. What we’re saying is that hardworking Australian families, particularly middle income Australian families deserve to keep more of the money they earn. It is their money. That’s why they are getting, they’re getting support in the first stage. They’re getting the support in the first stage and then as the tax reform rolls out, we’re going to to get to the point, what a huge reform, 94% of Australians will know that if they go out and earn an extra dollar, they won’t pay more than 32.5c in the dollar. That’s a huge reform.
After yesterday became all about the high court ruling, and then the resulting resignations, and then the byelections, the budget was shoved to the side and forgotten.After yesterday became all about the high court ruling, and then the resulting resignations, and then the byelections, the budget was shoved to the side and forgotten.
But not today. Today it is back, front and centre, with both the Coalition and Labor using it to spearhead their campaigns ahead of the coming super Saturday. The five byelections, in Longman, Braddon, Fremantle, Perth and Mayo, are being billed as a test of leadership for both Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull. But not today. Today it is back, front and centre, with both the Coalition and Labor using it to spearhead their campaigns ahead of the coming super Saturday. The five byelections – in Longman, Braddon, Fremantle, Perth and Mayo – are being billed as a test of leadership for both Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull.
So suddenly the lines drawn over the budget have become all important - and the government’s not-totally-explained $140 billion tax reform plan is at the centre of it. So suddenly the lines drawn over the budget have become all important – and the government’s not-totally-explained $140bn tax reform plan is at the centre of it.
The government has given its four year figure - $13.4 billion. And a 10-year figure - $140 billion. But it won’t give a year-by-year figure. Probably because as the higher income tax cuts come in, the foregone revenue figure will shoot through the roof. And no one in the government wants those numbers in the public arena. The government has given its four-year figure - $13.4bn. And a 10-year figure - $140bn. But it won’t give a year-by-year figure. Probably because as the higher income tax cuts come in, the foregone revenue figure will shoot through the roof. And no one in the government wants those numbers in the public arena.
We’ll be covering the budget-in-reply speech later tonight - and all the days events in between. We’ll be covering the budget-in-reply speech later tonight – and all the day’s events in between.
Mike Bowers is, as usual, out and about with his camera. You can follow his day at @mikepbowers and @mpbowers. You’ll find me in the comment section, but also @amyremeikis and @pyjamapolitics, where you’ll find some behind the scenes shenanigans. Mike Bowers is, as usual, out and about with his camera. You can follow his day at @mikepbowers and @mpbowers. You’ll find me in the comment section, but also @amyremeikis and @pyjamapolitics, where you’ll find some behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
It is going to be a loooooooong day, so I hope you have had your morning pick-me-up.It is going to be a loooooooong day, so I hope you have had your morning pick-me-up.
Ready to go?Ready to go?