Hundreds of emails sent to my inbox. Thousands of people rallying at the steps of Parliament. Millions of property owners set to be smashed.
There are few issues that have galvanised Victorians like the Allan Labor Government’s Emergency Services Volunteers Fund.
But don’t be deceived, this isn’t a fund. It’s a brand-new property tax.
Even the United Firefighters Union – affiliated with the Labor Party – has demanded that this tax not be imposed in their name.
Why? Because they know it’s a sham.
If you own a home, you’ll be slugged with this new charge when your local council sends out your rates notice.
But don’t blame them – they’ve been forced to collect this tax on the state’s behalf without their consent or consultation, and they won’t see a single cent of it.
The food you buy at the supermarket will go up because farmers will be paying 150 percent more on than the original fire levy.
If your small business owns a commercial property, that’ll also be hit, meaning less profits to be paid out.
Your local CFA and SES stations won’t be the beneficiaries of this tax as there’s no guarantee that it’ll go towards funding new equipment and vehicles or facilitating training.
Having worked closely with our emergency services, I can tell you firsthand that their organisations are becoming increasingly unsustainable, and frontline crews aren’t given the updated resources that they need to keep us safe.
Adding insult to injury, many of our farmers are also unpaid emergency services volunteers, and often fund equipment out of their own pocket.
This government is a fiscal arson, burning through cash and borrowing like there’s no tomorrow.
If they continue down this path, they’ll only have two choices – cut essential services or tax the living daylights out of you.
Right now, they’re doing both, and you’re paying the price.
We must scrap this tax, reinstate the fairer, simpler fire levy, and ensure that our emergency services are funded by existing revenue, not some dodgy tax.
Ann-Marie Hermans,
South Eastern Metropolitan Region MP
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education
