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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-07-04 Daily Xml
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State Major Bank Levy

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:20): My question is to the—

The SPEAKER: Before we get to that, would the leader be seated. I call to order the members for Adelaide, Mitchell and Hartley for interrupting the Premier's answer. Leader.

Mr MARSHALL: My question is to the Treasurer. Given Business SA, the Property Council, the AHA, Clubs SA, REISA, Primary Producers, Restaurant and Catering SA and the South Australian Wine Industry Association and, in fact, the Urban Development Institute have all voiced their opposition to the state bank tax, can the Treasurer inform the parliament how many of these industry associations and employer groups were in fact consulted before the tax was put in place?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:21): None, sir, but what we have done is—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No. What we have been doing since 2015 is advocating for more taxation on the banking sector, and the reason we have been advocating that is because the banking sector is an undertaxed part of the economy. It's not just the government that believes that the banks are undertaxed; it is the commonwealth government that believes that they are also undertaxed. The attacks that the opposition leader is making on the government's levy is an indictment on his own political party.

All the criticisms he makes of us, he must make of the Prime Minister, he must make of Treasurer Morrison, he must make of the commonwealth government, yet when the major bank levy was announced by the commonwealth government was the Leader of the Opposition calling this a toxic tax? Was he out on the steps of parliament calling for it to be repealed? No. He stayed silent. Although, we heard on budget day he said, 'I never liked this tax.' But he had stayed silent. He didn't say a thing during the May commonwealth budget, didn't say a word, too frightened to speak up lest Christopher tell him off, the long Black Hand reaching to the South Australian opposition. What hypocrisy!

If it's about consulting with the community, how about this question in response? We are less than nine months from an election. How many people have the opposition informed of their policies? None—not one person. They are keeping them all hidden.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: debate.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. I also call to order the members for Morialta, Finniss, Kavel and Mount Gambier. I warn for the first time, and the second time, the member for Adelaide. Leader.

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