Taxation~double Taxation

New Labour’s shadow treasurer said it was time to reform the tax system to make it fairer for all and not just the wealthy.

The shadow treasurer, Chris Leslie, said the party had introduced an amendment to its budget, which would see the top 1 per cent pay a minimum of $5,500 in taxes.

Mr Leslie said this should be a one-off payment, and it would be paid by everyone, regardless of income, regardless the location, and regardless of where they work.

“This is a long-term solution, it’s not a temporary solution, and the longer the government works to make this fairer, the better off everyone will be.

But it is also the right thing to do,” Mr Leslie said.

Labour’s Shadow Treasurer Chris Leslie says the government needs to make a change to its tax system article Mr Leslie’s amendment, to the Labour’s budget, was introduced on Tuesday, making it the first time a Labour government has introduced a single payer tax in the current parliament.

He said it would put “the squeeze” on the wealthy, and would “put the squeeze” in on those with the highest incomes.

“It’s the first step to making sure that we get the money out of politics, it will help to make sure that the tax burden is not just concentrated in the top one per cent,” Mr Leslie said.

“The people who are earning the most money and the ones with the most assets are not going to see any tax benefit from this.”

Mr Leslie, who is a member of the shadow cabinet, said Labour would be “taking the lead” in the Senate to pass the tax reforms, but was also hopeful the changes could be “taken to the floor”.

“The Prime Minister is making a strong case to be able to bring forward the tax reform,” he said.

Mr Leslie’s comments come after the Federal Government announced a review into the tax-free threshold, which Mr Leslie described as “a complete disgrace”.

“I have been told by the Treasury that the top tax-payer in Australia will not see a tax increase in this budget.

They have been telling me for months now that it will not be an increase in the tax bracket,” Mr Clarkson said.

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