A massive land tax bill that has been lumped on a local small business has drawn the ire of The Nationals’ Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron.
“It’s clear there has been a systemic breakdown in the land tax regime in this state, and the flaws span the State Revenue Office, the Valuer-General’s Office, and the unfair overarching land tax system,” Mr Cameron said.
“Australian Char produces the iconic Heat Beads® barbecue fuel that so many of us love and have relied on for decades in Australia and overseas, and it’s made right here in Morwell.
“The business employs 21 people and should be celebrated because it’s truly an exemplar of our proud manufacturing industry in the Latrobe Valley.
“But the State Revenue Office (SRO) has issued Australian Char with a bill that has increased a whopping 92 per cent from last year.
“The site in Morwell where Australian Char manufactures its product has also nonsensically been valued at double the price of last year’s valuation.
“This is a huge impost for a hardworking small business that punches well above its weight, especially when you factor in rising WorkCover premiums, insurances, and the soaring cost of gas and electricity.
“Labor’s cruel land tax is suffocating small businesses, discouraging investment, and stifling economic growth in the Latrobe Valley.
“The Latrobe Valley cannot afford to lose any small businesses given the unemployment rate in Morwell is over 15 per cent and we have already lost or will lose all our major industries.
“The entire land tax regime is being delivered by a government that has got itself into such a financial mess it is headed towards a state debt of $186 billion and interest repayments alone of a billion dollars every six weeks.
“Labor can’t manage money, and Victorian small businesses are paying the price.”
