Labor slam death tax ‘fake news’ as UAP appoint deputy

A Anna Palmer. P l

LABOR has hit out at Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party for repeatedly accusing it of planning a death tax in a “fake news” style campaign.

Mr Palmer’s party, which on Sunday appointed his wife Anna as Queensland deputy leader, has repeatedly claimed Labor is planning to reintroduce an inheritance tax on Queenslanders despite having no evidence of such a plan.

In a statement announcing Mrs Palmer’s appointment, she accused the Palaszczuk government of proposing a 20 per cent death tax.

“Queensland Labor has been responsible for a $120 billion debt blowout and now they want to take from the dead to balance their books,” she said.

Treasurer Cameron Dick

Palmer’s claims were baseless.

“It will never happen,” he said

The claims mirror a scare campaign that ran on social media during the federal campaign last year during which said Mr

“fake news” posts claimed Bill Shorten was planning to reintroduce a death tax.

In announcing Mrs Palmer’s appointment, Queensland leader Greg Dowling said the party executive of Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party had unanimously endorsed Mrs Palmer for the deputy position.

The lawyer, chartered accountant and former executive at Rio Tinto is contesting the seat of Currumbin in the upcoming state election.

Mrs Palmer took aim at Labor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic when her appointment was announced.

“Queenslanders need a new deal,” she said. “The Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young have shown no compassion or common sense during this pandemic. We have seen their true colours in the heartless treatment of Queenslanders, barring family members from hospital visits and attending funerals when there has been no sound medical grounds to do so.”