Question Without Notice No. 198 asked in the Legislative Council on 15 June 2017 by Hon Aaron Stonehouse
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
198. Hon AARON STONEHOUSE to the minister representing the Treasurer:
I refer the Treasurer to the latest survey by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia that found that 72 per cent of businesses surveyed said that payroll tax was the biggest issue facing job growth. I note that the Treasurer has previously expressed his support for tax reform and that the government has a comprehensive plan for jobs. Given that the business community has told us payroll tax is a problem, why is the Treasurer ignoring the issue?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
This information has been provided by the Treasurer. The state government has a comprehensive plan for jobs, but the government also has to deal with the reality of record deficits and debt and the fact that payroll tax is a vital source of revenue to help fund essential services. In this regard, payroll tax is estimated to raise $3.3 billion in 2016–17 or about 38 per cent of the state's total revenue this financial year.