Tasmania’s Finance Minister has ruled out any plan to introduce a broad-based land tax on family homes, dismissing Labor’s claims that the government is secretly plotting tax changes.
In Parliament on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Dean Winter pressed the government on whether it planned to scrap stamp duty and replace it with a land tax that would hit everyday homeowners.
“Minister, have you also been directed by the Premier to undertake long-term land tax and stamp duty reform?” Winter asked, brandishing what he described as a letter from the Premier dated November 1 last year.
“Are you developing any plan to replace stamp duty with a broad-based land tax?”
Minister Roger Jaensch firmly rejected the suggestion.
“No, we’re not taxing the family home,” he said.
“There is nothing in any letter that you wave around that might have been written to me by the Premier that says we’re going to put a land tax on people’s own homes.”
“It’s irresponsible for you to suggest so and I can categorically rule it out.”
The Minister accused Labor of trying to “scare people” and “worry Tasmanians who may already be under cost-of-living pressure”.
Jaensch confirmed that Premier Jeremy Rockliff had asked him to look at the broader future of Tasmania’s state revenue system, but said that didn’t mean new taxes were on the way.
“We’re not putting anything off the table except we won’t be introducing new taxes, we won’t be increasing any existing taxes,” Jaensch said.
“But where we can make our taxes more sensible to people, more consumer-friendly, where we can reduce bill shock, where we can smooth payments and liabilities and obligations that people have, we will definitely look at that.”
