Objectives
To promote policies that reduce the tax burden to acceptable and fair levels on private individuals and business to make South Australia the most competitive state in Australia.
Specifically:
- To endorse and promote policies that specifically reduce to fair levels the Land Tax, Stamp Duty, Payroll Tax and Work Cover burden on private individuals and business.
- To endorse and promote policies that reduces to fair levels all State Taxes and Charges, Duties and Imposts.
- To endorse and promote policies that ensure socially just outcomes for all South Australians in the provision of resources for Housing, Education, Health, Sport and Recreation, Water Security, The Provision of Power and Gas and Petroleum Pricing.
Fairer Taxes
Land Tax
- Ensure that the Family home is never subject to Land Tax at state or federal levels
- Remove aggregation of properties when calculating Land Tax
- Reduce scale of rates downwards in accordance with the increase in value from 1994
- Ensure that Tax rates and brackets are at a level that is equal to or below the lowest rates of any state in Australia
- Lift land tax thresholds in South Australia to a level that is equal to or above the highest level of any state in Australia (currently Western Australia)
- Capping of total land tax receipts to CPI per annum
- Cap individual land tax increases per ownership at maximum of 12.5% per annum
- Each ownership be granted one additional residential property and tax exemption
- Exemption of Land Tax on all coastal and river shacks
- $2,000 limit on credit card payments towards Land Tax to be removed
- Land tax on individual parcels of land not to exceed a level that would render the property unviable
- Pensioners to be exempt from land tax
Payroll Tax
- The Payroll Tax rate must be reduced to a level that is equal to or below the lowest rate of any state in Australia
- The Payroll Tax threshold must be lifted to a level that is equal to or above the highest level of any state in Australia. At the moment there are heavy penalties should thresholds be exceeded.
Stamp Duty
Stamp duties on property transfer, motor vehicles registrations, and motor vehicle transfer insurance premiums must be reduced to levels that are equal to or below the lowest rate of any state in Australia.
Stamp duty for first homebuyers should be removed on the purchase of their first home for any property valued at below or equal to the median house value in the Adelaide Metropolitan Area and as registered in regional and country areas.
At the moment the First Home Owners Grant is almost entirely taken up by the Stamp Duty payable on an average first home.
Sewerage Rates, Natural Resource Management (NRM) Levy and Emergency Services Levy (ESL)
The above taxes should be charged according to the cost to provide the service and not based on the capital value of a property. The value of a property is not indicative of a person's wealth and therefore ability to pay.
Pensioners would pay a rate for the above service of at least 25% below the new rate.
Other Business Taxes
Reduce the number of state taxes and charges affecting business to minimise complexity, red tape and compliance costs to a level that is equal to or below the lowest rate of any state in Australia.
Water Security
The Federal Government must take ownership and control of all Australian Water resources including the Murray Darling System for the equitable distribution, quality and delivery of water to all metropolitan and agricultural users.
In South Australia, one water department responsible to one minister, ie "Minister for Water" to be established in order to ensure a unified approach that eliminates excessive and duplicated administrative costs that exist when water responsibilities are embedded into four separate departments:
- Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC)
- Natural Resources Management Boards (NRM)
- SA Water
- Water for Good / Water Security Commissioner
WorkCover
The current system is unmanageable and unfair to injured workers and employers.
- Changes to the WorkCover system need to be in place so that injured workers are treated fairly in managing injury, rehabilitation, re-entry into the workforce and disability payments.
- Employers will receive a fairer deal in rates and managing work cover claims.
- Self insurers should not be penalised by exorbitant exit fees.
Motorplex
Support the establishment of the proposed Motorplex at Gilman on the understanding that racing / practices to occur with adequate safeguards and are in line with world best practice.
ICAC
We support the establishment of an ICAC in South Australia.
