FRESH FOOD TAX WILL DRIVE UP COST OF LIVING

Photo by AUSPIC

Labor’s legislation on a new fresh food tax has been introduced in Parliament, in a move that will increase the cost of living and hurt families and farmers in Lyne.

I spoke in Parliament on the Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Levies Bill 2024.

Labor’s levy will act like a new fresh food tax and will hurt families in Lyne even more at the checkout.

Our farmers are getting slammed with regulatory costs which will inevitably see them forced to pass these new costs onto consumers.

The Bill is basically a second GST on primary production. It's rare that you get such a united front in the agricultural world, but what we are seeing now is a universal rejection from the whole industry of the concept which is embodied in this legislation.

Labor’s new tax is expensive, confusing, risky, and flawed. It is a thought bubble which will be counterproductive.

It's based on a false premise that primary producers don't already provide funds to support biosecurity in their industry and in the broader food and fibre production of our country.

Our producers are going to be contributing the vast majority of the fees that should be levied on people bringing risky product into Australia.

Worse still, the livestock and property agents responsible for its collection are largely unaware they will have to collect the levy.

Labor should drop the tax and instead mirror the Coalition’s importer container levy.