Tax cut tango
Peter Dutton’s decision to oppose the government’s $17 billion tax cuts package has led to speculation he'll make his own tax pledge in Thursday night's budget reply speech.
With the budget no-one expected now out of the way, focus is quickly shifting to the next election, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could call as soon as Friday. And if this week is anything to go by, it could be fought over a new battleground — tax cuts.
The big surprise out of Jim Chalmers’ fourth budget on Tuesday night was a modest tax cut for 12 million workers of up to $268 next year and $536 the following year. This morning, Labor moved to pass the cuts through Parliament before the end of the week, attempting to wedge Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and treasury spokesman Angus Taylor.
Dutton and Taylor chose to oppose the bill, prompting Chalmers to say that the Coalition “voted for higher taxes on Australian workers”. It’s a cute line, but it may only survive for another day.
Dutton said today he would make a “significant announcement” in his budget reply speech on Thursday night, which would be focused on “how we can help Australian families deal with Labor’s cost-of-living crisis”.
