Coe blames Barr for Canberra’s cost of living ‘crisis’

A CANBERRA Liberals government will freeze rates from day one after Labor’s record increases to rates and taxes have hurt thousands of struggling families and households right across the ACT, says Canberra Liberals leader Alistair Coe.

Mr Coe says 10 years of Andrew Barr’s aggressive tax reform will more than triple rates revenue from $209 million in 2011-12 to $697 million in 2021-22.

Since Chief Minister Andrew Barr became treasurer in 2014, rates, taxes, fees and charges have risen exponentially, creating a cost of living crisis in Canberra, Mr Coe says.

“The only way to fix Canberra’s cost of living crisis and help families get ahead is to change government,” he says.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Labor’s record increases to rates and taxes were hurting thousands of struggling families and households right across the ACT.”

ACT Labor freezes some government fees

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June 15, 2020

8 Responses to Coe blames Barr for Canberra’s cost of living ‘crisis’

Christopher Emery says: 15 June 2020 at 12:08 pm

What is the ACTLibs policy on stamp duty?

Hamba says: 15 June 2020 at 4:23 pm

I sincerely doubt the Libs will be raising stamp duty, but I can’t find any official statement, so I can’t be certain. The data on Labor and stamp duty are pretty clear, however, stamp duty will raise more revenue this year ($265 million) than it did when it was “abolished” in 2011-12 ($239 million). And this is in addition to astronomical rates rises, especially (since 2017) for those like me who live in units. I’m now taxed at the same rate as if I owned the entire development. So much for the promise that tax reform under Labor would be “revenue neutral”.

Archie says: 18 June 2020 at 5:02 pm

Probably private Toll Roads like their NSW cousins or blowing up a hospital like Carnell.

Peter Bradbury says: 18 June 2020 at 6:04 pm

The Libs don’t need to raise stamp duty, just freeze the tax scales as they are promising to do with Rates. The underlying concern is right on target though, voters deserve full detail on the competing tax strategies. We should have the fair-dinkum community debate on tax that we have never had.

As it stands, Labor is promising its “War on the Poor” will resume if it wins the election. The Liberals, that there will be 4 year ceasefire, and the Greens tax policy will be whatever Andrew Barr tells them it is.

None of the parties in the current Assembly seem to support a tax system which is horizontally and vertically equitable, small parties and independents should smash the majors on this.

Everybody should remember that the unit-title surcharges were a virtual secret before the 2016 election. What secrets will there be this time.

Jim says: 19 June 2020 at 3:10 pm

It’s more likely, given the way government policy is developed, that it wasn’t a secret at all. Much more likely it was a policy developed after the election “on the run” when they found a need for additional revenue. Its usually how it works.

Peter Bradbury says: 19 June 2020 at 5:52 pm

In a letter to me on 9 April, Andrew Barr wrote that the surcharge “… was first announced prior to the last election.”. That announcement amounts to something in a paper supporting the the 2016 Budget, I have only come across one media article. The Government had the ability to advise ratepayers in the 2016 Rates Notices, and chose not to.

Christopher Emery says: 19 June 2020 at 12:40 pm

Freezing rates will cause a shortfall in the budget needed to keep Canberra running. The annual maintenance and operation cost of stage 1 of light rail is already huge. The cost of filling in Lake Burley Griffin for developers to build apartments could be cut from the budget. What else can be cut?

Jim says: 19 June 2020 at 3:12 pm

Given the way ACT government does land development, the costs of filling the little part of LBG would not be “on budget” anyway, I’d expect, so you can’t cut something that isn’t in there.

As for the cost of light rail – yes its expensive. But the real elephant in the room is the cost of the bus network for what we get….. no value for money there at all.

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