COALITION WOULD MAKE FIRE FUNDING FAIRER

I mentioned this some time ago and pleased to say that the coalition have made a move on this unfair levy!

In country Victoria (ie Coldstream) we pay our FSL (fire service levy) with our insurance.
The sum of the stamp duty, GST and FSL is greater than the premium!

WHAT A JOKE!


The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition in government will review the existing Fire Services Levy and implement a fairer system that provides adequate funding for state fire services, Shadow Minister for Bushfire Response and Leader of The Nationals Peter Ryan said today.
“The Fire Services Levy, which is essentially a tax on insurance premiums to fund fire services including the Country Fire Authority (CFA), means that people who insure their home against fire pay for those who do not,” Mr Ryan said.
“The levy is a strong disincentive to insure against fire, with evidence from the recent bushfires suggesting that approximately 30 per cent of the houses lost were not insured.
“There are other fairer models that fund fire services in other states which more evenly distribute the cost of funding fire services.
“I have written to the Henry Review of Australia's taxation system and to the Bushfires Royal Commission requesting the issue of the Fire Services Levy be reviewed.”
“With the recent announcement by the government of a further five per cent increase in the Fire Services Levy, an already unsatisfactory arrangement has become completely unacceptable.
“Given the unfairness of the Fire Services Levy which increases insurance premiums of country Victorians by up to 68 per cent, it is crucial that the current system is reviewed.”
Mr Ryan said the CFA was largely funded by the Fire Services Levy and would not be
short-changed in the process of securing a new system.
“The same amount of money will need to be provided because it is vital that the CFA gets proper funding, but the question is how best to do it,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Ryan said the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition in government would consider the outcomes of the Henry Review and the Royal Commission’s findings regarding the Fire Services Levy with a view to implementing a more equitable arrangement.
“A Coalition government will review the system because the Fire Services Levy is unfair, inequitable and unacceptable to Victorians,” Mr Ryan said.
“John Brumby and Labor refuse to acknowledge the Fire Services Levy is a tax, when it clearly is, and the Premier’s inaction demonstrates his complete disregard for country Victorians.”
Media: Sonia Heath 0413 485 526 or 9651 8526