Page 2654 - Week 08 - Thursday, 14 August 2014

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Since the presentation of the bill, Treasury and the Revenue Office have addressed a range of queries from stakeholders, providing information and advice on the removal of the exemption and also on the exemptions that remain available to employment agents and subcontractors. Of course, these channels will continue to be open to all stakeholders following the successful passage of the bill.

This bill removes an exemption in the current legislation that provides a tax advantage to contractors who are not bona fide employers. The bill aligns the territory with the approach of all other jurisdictions. It provides more certainty for employment agents in Canberra and the contractor community with regard to payroll tax liabilities under the act. It removes confusion around the exemption of wages under the act and, importantly—and a point that I think is too casually dismissed by those opposite—provides a more level playing field for employment agents.

It will help to increase certainty in the ACT’s taxation regime, and a fairer tax environment promotes economic growth. With that I commend the Payroll Tax Amendment Bill to the Assembly.

Question put:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9		Noes 8
Mr Barr	Ms Gallagher	Mr Coe	Ms Lawder
Ms Berry	Mr Gentleman	Mr Doszpot	Mr Smyth
Dr Bourke	Ms Porter	Mrs Dunne	Mr Wall
Ms Burch	Mr Rattenbury	Mr Hanson
Mr Corbell		Mrs Jones

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Detail stage

Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.

MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (8.19): Pursuant to standing order 182A (b), I seek leave to move an amendment to this bill as it is minor and technical in nature.

Leave granted.

MR BARR: I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 2678] and table a supplementary explanatory statement. This is a straightforward amendment that substitutes a new commencement date for the act to be 1 January 2015.

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