February 28, 2005

Tax cuts are no answer – union

Suggestions that workers should be lobbying the Government for a tax cut in lieu of a wage rise are simply an attempt to get employers out of sharing the economic spoils, says the EPMU.

National secretary Andrew Little, who yesterday launched the union’s Fair Share – 5 in 05 campaign for a minimum five per cent wage rise for all workers, said that calls from some business lobby groups and politicians for workers to ask for tax cuts instead of a fair pay rise were transparently manipulative.

“We’re talking about businesses sharing the profits with the people who help them to earn them,” he said.

“Tax levels are a different issue altogether.”

Mr Little said that any person advocating tax cuts should be prepared to stand up in front of working people and tell them what state services they would lose in order to receive tax cuts.

“Should they accept that they’re not going to have superannuation when they’re older? Should they accept that they will have to pay for their children’s education and health care? Should they agree that the government should stop retiring debt and allow interest rates to soar? Until they’re prepared to honestly answer those questions, we’re not going to talk about tax cuts.”

ENDS

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