Page 2053 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 25 October 1989
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MR DUBY: Perhaps - I am not too sure. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that this is the amount of money that is going to be raised.
Mr Kaine has said that this legislation should be held over for a month to provide further consultation. I think we have shown that consultation has occurred on this matter, and I honestly believe that the only reason people want to hold it over is so that they do not have to pay tax for another month. That is a good, legitimate point for those business people who are, in my view, bending the system today and, of course, they will take that line. The fact is they will always be opposed to the expansion of this payroll tax to cover those anomalies. They can consult until they are blue in the face, but they will always be opposed to it.
Once again that shows that there is simply no need to defer this legislation. Deferring it even for one week means that the Bill cannot come into effect until 1 November. I am advised that whole months are the mechanism by which this particular revenue was obtained, so even to defer it for one week now would mean that it cannot possibly come into effect until 1 December.
That is throwing away in the order of $200,000 of money that should be rightfully paid, money that the people of Canberra deserve to have paid. Think of the things we can do with that money. There are all sorts of things.
We have had lots of discussions in the budget sessions over various customer services, and some of them amounted to a quarter of that amount. A sum of $200,000 is not inconsequential but is a substantial amount of money. The taxpayers and the people of the ACT are entitled to have that money collected by this Assembly, and I regard it as our responsibility to do so. So I support this legislation; I think it is overdue; and I think I have amply demonstrated that the doubts and fears of Mr Kaine are groundless.
MR COLLAERY (12.21): The Rally has had the advantage of an excellent briefing note from the Treasury which indicates a number of points. The Bill covers four main issues. It extends the payroll tax base to include payments made in a greater number of circumstances. It includes a wider range of benefits as wages for payroll tax purposes - that is, those covered by the Commonwealth fringe benefits legislation. It nullifies "contract" arrangements which are shams and merely entered into to obscure employer-employee relationships - - -
Ms Follett: That is my speech.
MR COLLAERY: This is open, consultative business, Chief Minister.
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