Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt says plans to lift business and gambling taxes breaks another key LNP election promise and is a tricky move designed to soften the government’s callous approach to job cuts.
“By breaking a key election promise the LNP government will have another bag of cash worth $1 billion allowing them to sack fewer than the 20,000 people the Premier has been talking about,” Mr Pitt said.
“This will give him an opportunity to falsely claim he has ‘saved’ people’s jobs. It is just yet another example of utter deception by the mean and tricky nature of the Newman Government.
“This is an elaborate plan to allow Mr Newman to play ‘hero’ when he sacks fewer people and says people should be grateful.”
Mr Pitt said yet again the LNP did not tell the mining industry before the election it would impose extra taxes.
“The LNP’s promise on business taxes before the election was to cut payroll tax,” he said.
“Now it will be giving with one hand and taking far more with the other, just to meet the LNP’s unfunded election commitments.
“This is the same government that is paying for a High Court challenge to the federal resources tax, while lifting royalties on our own mining companies.”
Mr Pitt said Treasurer Tim Nicholls was repeatedly saying the government’s jobs purge and cuts to frontline services were needed to find $4 billion in savings over three years — the identical cost the LNP put on its own pre-election promises.
“Every government worker sacked and every group whose program has been axed is paying for the LNP’s election promises. It’s that simple,” he said.
“The independent Treasury’s Mid-Year Review was available before the election gave full details of the state of Queensland’s finances.
“But the mean and tricky Newman Government insisted that the Costello Audit ‘uncover’ what the Treasurer tells Queenslanders is ‘a debt crisis’ while never uttering those words to overseas investors.
“The government’s Costello Audit said the biggest source of the LNP’s proposed savings to fund its promises — a 3% cap on public sector employee expenses — could only be achieved through sackings or lowering wages.
“The Newman Government is ruled by its Costello blueprint which has given it the excuse for the mass sackings and frontline service cuts imposed so far with more to come,” Mr Pitt said.
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