<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>341092</docID> <postdate>2025-03-25 19:52:57</postdate> <headline>Winners and losers from the federal budget revealed</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-339892" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/shoppers-crowds.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>There's been quite a few winners in this year's budget, after Labor's cost of living focus. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By<strong> Andrew Brown</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Taxpayers and students are the big winners from Jim Chalmers's fourth budget, while supermarkets and some bosses have come up short.</strong></p> <p><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>FEDERAL BUDGET WINNERS AND LOSERS</strong></span></p> <p><strong><span style="color: #800000;">WINNERS</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Taxpayers: All taxpayers will get tax cuts in July 2026 and July 2027, taking the average total to an extra $50 a week after this year's tax cuts are included</p> </li> <li> <p>University students: Students with a HECS debt will have 20 per cent of their loan cut, wiping $16 billion from all balances</p> </li> <li> <p>First-home buyers: The Help to Buy equity scheme, which allows buyers to purchase a home with a lower deposit, will have caps expanded to make it more accessible</p> </li> <li> <p>Workers looking to change jobs: Employees earning less than $175,000 won't be subjected to non-compete clauses</p> </li> <li> <p>Aged care staff: $2.6 billion is set aside in the budget for a pay rise for aged care nurses</p> </li> <li> <p>Parents: Mums and dads with kids in childcare will save more than $4000 in fees each year as the government aims to set up universal access</p> </li> <li> <p>Beer drinkers: The government will pause indexation of the excise of draught beer for two years from August</p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="color: #800000;"><strong>LOSERS:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li> <p>Supermarkets: The consumer watchdog will get $38.8 million to crack down on misleading and deceptive practices by major retailers</p> </li> <li> <p>Consulting firms: The government will reduce spending on consulting and labour hire firms by more than more than $700 million over the next four years</p> </li> <li> <p>Business owners: Bosses won't be able to slap non-compete clauses on employees leaving the workplace as part of a government crackdown</p> </li> <li> <p>Foreign property buyers: Foreign buyers will be banned for two years from purchasing existing homes in Australia, which will kick in from April</p> </li> <li> <p>Illegal tobacco traders: More than $156 million will be spent from July to elevate a crack down on the illegal tobacco trade</p> </li> </ul> </body>