The delayed start date of 1 September for the new biosecurity levy announced in last night’s budget was inevitable. The design of levy is not yet decided.
The Minister’s special committee is currently trying to work out how the Government’s target revenue of $108 million per year can be collected with the least possible impact on the import industry and Australian consumers, but their report is not due until 1 June. It is simply not possible, with a general election about to be called, to make the necessary regulatory changes in time to commence collecting the levy by 1 July.
What is very disappointing is that the Government decided to retain the levy in yesterday’s budget, when it could have been cancelled without a significant impact on the bottom line.
The biosecurity levy has been exposed as an inefficient new tax that will cost ordinary Australians much more than the revenue that the Government collects.
It is just as disappointing that the Opposition has also committed to the same strategy.
It seems that whoever is in power will try to find innovative, new methods of taking money from the Australian people without them noticing.
