Labor’s Emergency Services Tax hits Ovens Valley families and farmers hard

The Nationals' Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, warns that the Allan Labor Government’s new Emergency Services Tax will hit Victorian households and businesses in the region with hefty increases when council rates notices arrive this month.

Replacing the previous Fire Services Property Levy, this tax brings a 100 percent rise for residential and commercial properties, a 64 percent jump for industrial sites, and a staggering 150 percent increase for farmers.

“This tax is a heavy blow to families and small businesses already struggling with rising living costs,” said Mr McCurdy. “Labor’s financial mismanagement is forcing Victorians to pay more while getting less.”

The so called exemption for farmers is misleading, applying only to their primary residence and not their entire farm. “This will increase costs for food and fibre production and inevitably drive prices higher at the supermarket,” Mr McCurdy added.

Concerns also remain over transparency as the government uses local councils to collect this tax without clear information on how the funds will be used. “Most of the money won’t support frontline emergency services or volunteers but will fill gaps in government budgets,” he said.

The Nationals' have committed to scrapping the Emergency Services Tax and reinstating the Fire Services Property Levy to ensure emergency services funding is fair, accountable, and does not punish regional communities.

“Regional Victorians deserve fair treatment, not to be burdened with Labor’s ongoing tax hikes just because of their postcode,” Mr McCurdy said.

Labor can't manage money, and Victorians are paying the price.