First off the mark is the Heart Foundation who are pretty happy with the active living policies.
Chiming in the Liberals think it’s awful:
“Today’s Budget shows that the ACT Labor Government is costing the average Canberra
family over $10,000 every year,” Mr Seselja said today.“Canberrans have never paid more, and have never received less in return.
“After 11 years of this Labor government, cost of living has spiralled out of control, basic
services have been neglected, and the deficit has blown out to almost $320 million.“Under this Budget:
— The cost of basic government services will rise to over $10,000 every year.
— Car parking revenue will increase by 22 per cent, potentially adding hundreds of extra dollars to many households’ bottom line.
— Homeowners will be slugged with a rate increase of 9.6 per cent – on top of the doubling of rates that’s already occurred in many Canberra suburbs.
— Natural gas costs will rise by 11.5 per cent, and sewerage costs will rise by 8.2 per cent.
Meanwhile the Greens are all for the indulgence of running deficits under the guise of stimulus at Territory level but are wondering what we’re getting in exchange for saddling the future with debt:
“This Budget is about keeping the ACT economy ticking over. The Greens support protecting services, jobs and making smart investments,” Ms Hunter said.
“The point is how you spend the money. It has to be an investment in Canberra that will give benefits in the years ahead as we work to return to surplus.
“This Budget does not hit the mark in a number of areas, failing to shift funding into targeted and practical initiatives which will set Canberra up for the future.
“The investment in health is positive, but we still see a lack of funds for preventative health measures that will reduce demands on our system in the future.
“The same can be said for failure to prioritise sustainable transport, and a half-hearted effort on energy efficiency. It’s time to recognise the ongoing cost of remaining inefficient in how we move people and power our homes.
The Property Council has expressed its displeasure:
Property Council ACT Executive Director, Catherine Carter, says: “The Property Council has always supported taxation reform in the Territory, provided the reform leads to greater efficiency and fairness and does not further burden the property sector, which is already over-taxed.”
“The ACT Budget released today fails this test abysmally. Stamp duty in the ACT was Australia’s highest, but will now increase even further under arrangements announced today. A property owner paying stamp duty at the current rate of 6.75 percent today will pay 7.25 percent under the new regime, and will still pay 7.0 percent in five years’ time.”
“Commercial land tax has been abolished but this is no comfort because general rates have increased so much that the total amount paid will be significantly greater.”
The Chamber of Commerce is very happy with it.
The AHA had a lot of things to enthuse about.
More to come