SUPPORT has been swift for Loddon Shire Council’s stance against the State Government’s emergency services tax.
Within hours of the decision at Tuesday’s council meeting to ask councils to unite in not collecting the tax, hundreds of people had backed the council.
That support has come from across Victoria with some calling on their local councils to follow Loddon’s lead.
Tuesday’s meeting saw councillors express anger with the Government’s decision to impose the new tax.
Mayor Dan Straub, councillors Miki Wilson, Gavan Holt, David Weaver and Nick Angelo and CEO Lincoln Fitzgerald had been at last week’s Scrap the Tax rally in Melbourne.
Cr Straub said it had been important to stand with Loddon residents who travelled in their hundreds to the protest.
Cr Wilson said on Tuesday the tax would punish farmers and would reduce councils to a government tax agency when the Government knew it was “bad and wrong” because it had shut down any avenues of dispute.
“(I am) happy to risk my role as a councillor to stop this tax,” Cr Wilson said when moving council’s four-point motion.
The council decision:
Reiterates its objections from March 25 to the proposed introduction of the abhorrent Emergency Services Volunteer Fund Levy in its current form, due to the significant, unfair and inequitable impacts it will have on the shire’s farming, commercial and industrial sectors.
Call on the State Government to listen to our community and immediately repeal the implementation of the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund Levy (Bill).
As the Bill is awaiting Royal Assent, on Governor Margaret Gardner to exercise her reserve powers and not sign the Bill.
Authorise the Mayor to write to all Victorian Councils, Rural Councils Victoria and the Municipal Association of Victoria seeking them to unite and as a collective oppose the collection of the Emergency Services Volunteer Fund Levy.
Cr Nick Angelo said the tax was unfair and unjust and there would be strength in numbers if councils opposed the tax that the State Government says they must collect.
Cr Gavan Holt said: “I want to reassure ratepayers we will do everything we can within our power to see this tax repealed.”
Both Cr Holt and Cr Straub said council had tried outlining its objections behind closed doors to the Government without success.
“I look forward to our rural councils ... strongly support us,” Cr Holt said.
Councils were told of the Government’s tax plans late December with Cr Holt the first to raise concerns that the shire would cop the brunt of ratepayer anger for collecting the State Government tax.
Loddon Shire’s motion goes further than a vote at this month’s Municipal Association of Victoria conference that opposed local government being a government tax collector, wanting the government to take on the role.