Time for Australians to say no to tax cuts that benefit those who least need them
23 January 2024
The country’s peak body for public health is urging the Albanese Government to not proceed with the stage three tax cuts in their current form.
The greatest health disparities and the worst health outcomes are experienced by people with the least resources. Middle- and high-income Australians are among the healthiest people on earth.
“We must do more for those Australians who are in need of support,” Public Health Association of Australia CEO, Adj Prof Terry Slevin, said.
“Better income support, better housing, and better childcare will ultimately benefit us all.
“The government can achieve those outcomes – if it does not diminish its revenue base by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade.
“We are urging well paid Australians to petition the Government to reverse the stage three tax cuts, even though they stand to benefit most. We are urging them to say ‘No thanks’.”
Our petition states:
“The Australian Government helps provide many services that benefit people in Australia, ranging from funding health to education to housing, financial support to our most vulnerable people, and much more.
“We know there are many areas in which the government would like to increase funding, such as preventive health programs, childcare, and aged care, but feels constrained because of budgetary pressures, and the need to fulfil Labor’s election promises.”
Sign our petition to encourage the Government to sensibly reverse their commitment to stage three tax cuts, and help make Australia a better, fairer, and healthier place for everyone.
For further information/comment:
Paris Lord (he/him), PHAA Communications & Media Manager, 0478 587 917, [email protected]
Note to editors:
The full text of PHAA’s petition reads:
Dear Mr Albanese and Dr Chalmers
The Australian Government helps provide many services that benefit people in Australia, ranging from funding health to education to housing, financial support to our most vulnerable people, and much more.
We know there are many areas in which the government would like to increase funding, such as preventive health programs, child care, and aged care, but feels constrained because of budgetary pressures, and the need to fulfil Labor’s election promises. We, the undersigned, are among the people who will benefit most from proposed tax cuts, measures known in the media as stage three tax cuts.
We are asking the government to reverse course on this promise. Yes, we are individuals who will financially benefit from these proposed cuts, but we don’t want them.
Forgoing these cuts will allow the Australian Government to fund numerous programs that will improve the public good.
We understand Australia has a deficit of A$1 trillion.
It’s the wrong time to give more money to those who don’t need it. It's not fair. It’s the right time to abandon the proposed tax cuts, and redirect the savings to the millions of people and projects which need it.
We say “no thanx to tax cuts”.
Background: Here is the Parliamentary Budget Office’s analysis of the proposed “Stage Three” tax cuts. The cuts, first proposed in the 2018/19 budget are set to take effect from 1 July 2024, and apply for anyone earning $45,000 or above.
Measures include:
• reducing the marginal tax rate faced by the $45,000 to $200,000 tax bracket from 32.5% to 30%.
• removing the $120,000 - $180,000 tax bracket
• increasing the top tax bracket threshold from $180,000 to $200,000
According to the Australia Institute, the average income for a full-time worker in Australia is $92,000. If you earn over that income, you are more likely to benefit from the proposed tax cuts.
By signing this, you acknowledge that:
1) I have an income in excess of the Australian average, and will therefore benefit most from the proposed tax cuts
2) I wish to deliberately communicate to the Australian Government that I do not want the tax cuts