Transparency ‘lacking on where tax spent’

VICTORIAN Farmers’ Federation has accused the Government of failing to deliver on a promise to provide a detailed breakdown of how the $1.6 billion collected through the emergency services and volunteers fund will be spent.

VICTORIAN Farmers’ Federation has accused the Government of failing to deliver on a promise to provide a detailed breakdown of how the $1.6 billion collected through the emergency services and volunteers fund will be spent.

President Ryan Milgate said Victorian farmers, businesses and households had been assured there would be annual reporting on both levy revenue and allocations to emergency service agencies but claimed that information had not been released.

“Last year Treasurer Jaclyn Symes publicly committed to providing annual reporting on both levy collections and agency allocations. Now when that time has arrived, it’s nowhere to be seen,” Mr Milgate said. The lack of transparency raised questions about whether funds collected through the levy were being directed entirely towards emergency services.

“How can we have any confidence that this so-called beneficial tax is actually going to our emergency services and not being used to line the coffers of the Government?” he said.