The Labor Government has been secretly taxing Victorian public transport users every time they tap on or off trains and buses to help fund the controversial Suburban Rail Loop (SRL).
The $8 billion tax was revealed in a report released today by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO), which also warned the SRL is likely to exceed its already enormous $34.5 billion budget.
The Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath, said Labor’s secret tax on every Victorian public transport user regardless of their postcode was approved in 2021 and quietly introduced a year ago without public disclosure.
“It is mind-boggling how addicted this Labor Government is to secrecy and taxation.
“The only reason Premier Ben Carroll has come clean on the state government’s hidden public transport tax is because VAGO, the state’s financial watchdog, exposed it.
“Premier Carroll says integrity is not optional, yet he would have been perfectly happy for Labor’s secret SRL tax to remain hidden from the Victorian public.
“If the Premier is serious about transparency and integrity, he must reveal exactly when he became aware of this secret tax and why Victorians were kept in the dark.”
Ms Bath said regional Victorians should not be forced to pay a hidden tax to bankroll another mismanaged Melbourne-centric project that many will never even use.
“Regional Victorians are already getting a raw deal under Labor.
“Despite making up 25 per cent of the state’s population, regional Victoria receives just 12 per cent of infrastructure funding.
“Labor’s lack of transparency is outrageous, and its refusal to apologise for yet another secret tax during a cost of living crisis is disgraceful.
“Only The Nationals in government will guarantee regional Victorians their fair share by delivering at least 25 per cent of the state’s infrastructure funding to regional communities.”
