Levy sure looks like a new tax

JUST last week, the Bulletin revealed the massive profits the State Government was raking in from North Queensland’s only energy retailer, Ergon Energy.

The Opposition described the profits pouring into government coffers as a “secret tax” and given the crippling electricity bills consumers in the state’s north face, people are rightly furious.

As we pointed out last week, families are struggling to make ends meet, while companies are being pushed to the brink or finding themselves unable to expand due to the exorbitant cost of doing business.

Now the State Labor Government wants to slug us with yet another revenue- raiser – this time in the form of its waste levy.

Leaving aside the fact that, under the plan, North Queenslanders will be slugged a waste levy for a problem that is primarily the state’s southeast’s, learning that the Queensland Government will once again use money raised from it to boost its budget is completely unpalatable.

And Townsville City Council has correctly taken the State Government to task on it.

Even though there will be a government rebate for kerbside collection, street sweeping and park clean- ups, roadworks and council administration waste will incur the levy.

Ultimately, it could mean a rate rise for the city of up to $ 15 per property, says council chief executive Adele Young.

As Townsville City Council correctly points out in its submission, the state has failed to even ensure the scheme is rolled out to coincide with the local authority’s financial year, which adds to the irritation.

Given our Labor- aligned council has expressed significant concerns with this state Labor policy, it should be up to our three local Labor state members to build a bridge between the two.

But as LNP environment spokesman David Crisafulli points out, with the waste levy raising $ 1.3 billion over the next four years and being used to boost the state’s budget, it’s sounding less like a levy and more like a tax.