BONNER FAMILIES WILL BE OVER $550 BETTER OFF BY SCRAPPING THE CARBON TAX

Families in Bonner will be an average of over $550 better off next financial year as a result of the Coalition’s plan to scrap the carbon tax said Ross Vasta, LNP Member for Bonner.

“Kevin Rudd’s carbon tax adds to the cost of living. It is a tax on electricity, it’s a tax on gas and it hurts family budgets”, said Ross Vasta.

“As the carbon tax goes up, so will families’ cost of living.

“Only the Coalition will reduce your cost of living by abolishing the carbon tax.

Ross Vasta said that on the Government’s own figures, the carbon tax will increase six-fold between mid-2014 and mid 2019 – reaching $38 a tonne by 2019 and increasing to $350 a tonne over time.

“That means if Labor is re-elected, average families will pay $3,000 in carbon tax over the next six years. 

“Only the Coalition will scrap the carbon tax lock, stock and barrel.”

“And the Coalition will also keep the current income tax thresholds and the current pension and benefit fortnightly rates while scrapping the carbon tax.

Ross Vasta said this means local workers, families and pensioners will keep the tax cuts and fortnightly pension and benefit increases provided in Labor’s carbon tax package, but without the carbon tax.

“As a result, these tax cuts and fortnightly benefit increases will become genuine cost‑of‑living relief, worth around $4 billion a year, rather than partial compensation for Labor’s damaging carbon tax hit.

This means that – based on the Government’s own figures – under the Coalition:

• average families will be better off by more than $550 a year in 2014-15, rising to around $900 a year in 2019-20; and
• over the next six years, average families will be $3,000 better off under the Coalition than under Kevin Rudd’s carbon tax.