TRANSCRIPT:
My question is to the Treasurer, and I ask: why has the government changed the criteria, which has forced thousands of my constituents to pay land tax for the first time? Individuals, families and businesses are rightly concerned that this tax will lead to increased pressure on households, increased costs for running a business and increased rents. After 44 years of operating his Benalla automotive centre, which his dad started, Mark Brient said the latest land tax increase was the final straw, and he is closing his business and moving interstate. Meanwhile, 80-year-old Alan McGillivray from Knowsley has said his land tax bill jumped from $16,000 to $82,000 in 12 months. On top of situations like this, I have got constituents reaching out, concerned with errors on their land tax bills, with people charged for their primary place of residence. I look forward to seeing how the Treasurer will justify this latest blatant tax grab that punishes Victorians because of his financial incompetence.