West Australians implore Anthony Albanese to stick to his GST word ahead of his visit to Perth

West Australians have implored Anthony Albanese to keep his word on retaining the GST deal that will deliver WA $40 billion over the next four years. Ahead of Mr Albanese’s visit to Perth this week to sell his Federal Budget the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has released the results of a new survey, which showed emphatic support for the current GST deal. Almost four in five people surveyed – 78 per cent - urged against change. On Saturday, WA Liberals questioned whether Mr Albanese’s word on keeping the State’s GST deal could be trusted, given his backflip on negative gearing and Capital Gains Tax rules in Tuesday’s Federal Budget. “The question for Western Australians is a simple one: why should we believe Labor’s promise to protect WA’s fairer GST deal when he has been so willing to break other promises?” WA Liberal senator Dean Smith said on Saturday. CCIWA, which met with Treasurer Jim Chalmers in Perth last month to lobby for the deal to stay, commissioned JWS Research to conduct focus groups as well as an online survey during March and April this year. Results revealed some voters would punish Labor if it weakened WA’s position.. “I wouldn’t support a government that wants to do that,” one person told the focus group. Another said: “There’s a little bit of jealousy … it wouldn’t be fair to be looking at trying to reduce us back down to nothing because then really what’s the incentive for QLD and WA to keep working towards the whole of Australia’s GST pie.” CCIWA chief economist Dr Daniel Kiely said the results sent a clear message to Mr Albanese: “The data send a clear message: don’t change WA’s GST deal”. “People in WA know our State is the economic engine room of the nation, propping up the Federal Budget and lifting the standard of living for all Australians,” Dr Kiely said. “The old arrangements punished WA for its success and didn’t encourage other states to develop their economies.” The Productivity Commission is currently reviewing the 2018 GST deal that finally delivered WA its fair share of the $100-billion-a-year national GST pie. Under the deal, WA receives no less than 75 cents in the dollar for every GST dollar it sends to Canberra. Mr Albanese and Mr Chalmers have emphatically assured the Cook Government it will not be tampered with, despite complaints from states and territories in the east wanting an increased share. Last week’s State Budget clearly showed the importance of the GST to WA’s economy. The budget papers showed $8 billion of GST monies is forecast to flow into WA coffers this financial year, with an estimated $40 billion over the next four years. WA Treasury warned our GST take would be about $6 billion a year less under previous settings. “That would undermine the services and infrastructure needed to keep WA strong and allow us to keep driving the nation’s prosperity,” Dr Kiely said. The Productivity Commission is expected to produce an interim report on its review in August before presenting a final report to the Albanese Government in December. Leaders in the east claim WA was flush with cash and didn’t need the money. Some of WA’s most influential business leaders have worked with CCIWA to lobby the Albanese on keeping the State’s GST deal. They include Nigel Satterley, Michael Chaney, John Poynton and Andrew Forrest. The four are expected to join CCIWA in an anticipated face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister in Canberra later this year. At a press conference in Sydney on Saturday, Mr Albanese confirmed he would be in Perth this week. He’s expected to arrive late on Monday, spending Tuesday selling the budget and convening National Cabinet with state and territory leaders on Wednesday. “The National Cabinet once again, (will convene) for our fortnightly meetings,” Mr Albanese said. “I’ll be in Perth when that occurs and I’ll join that video meeting with the Premier of WA, Roger Cook, who’s also the Chair of the Council of Australian Federation.” Taxes are shaping up to be a key battleground ahead of the next Federal Election. The Albanese Government in Tuesday’s Federal Budget confirmed it will restrict future negative gearing tax breaks to new builds. The perk remains for those who already have investment properties. His Government is also replacing the 50 per cent Capital Gains Tax discount with a discount based on inflation, also introducing a minimum 30 per cent tax on gains from July 1 next year. Opposition leader Angus Taylor on Thursday revealed a Coalition Government, if elected, would end the days of people being pushed into higher tax brackets as their wages rose over time. It would link the bottom two tax brackets to inflation immediately after the 2028 election and the top two from 2031-32. This would give average taxpayers a tax cut of $250 in the first year, raising to $1000 by the fourth year, he claimed. Mr Albanese said the effect of Mr Taylor’s tax policies on the budget were an unknown. “We had a speech on Thursday night with no costings attached,” Mr Albanese said. “Then we had an interview, or better seen as a train wreck, from Angus Taylor immediately after his budget reply speech where he couldn’t say how much any of it cost. “Then the next day they put out costings, yesterday, saying it was $22 billion. “But we know that it’s actually $35 billion, which is why the PBO, the Parliamentary Budget Office (exists). They should get it costed.” Mr Taylor has also promised to cap immigration numbers based on the number of homes built each year. Mr Taylor said welfare for new migrants would only become available once they became Australian citizens. Mr Albanese accused the Mr Taylor of stealing One Nation policies. “Thursday night’s budget reply was a divisive speech, all taken from One Nation,” Mr Albanese said.