Shorten: “Did you know that with the diesel fuel rebate we subsidise the mining industry – and we’re keeping that, before anyone says anything – but it is a subsidy. Mr Shorten was quick to say he was retaining the diesel fuel rebate
Source: Mirage News
The diesel rebate is NOT a subsidy. Fuel tax was introduced decades ago as part of the “3×3” policy (3c/litre for 3 years) to fund highways. Later, miners and farmers protested that their OFF-ROAD vehicles should not be taxed to fund highway construction since farm tractors and mine excavators almost never travel on the highways. The rebate was granted because that was the most practical way to reverse the unfair tax.
The Greens have consistently claimed that the diesel rebate is a ‘mining subsidy’ and now apparently, Shorten is spouting the same lie.
Shorten’s misrepresentation of the disel rebate as a ‘subsidy’ is akin to his misrepresentation or misunderstanding of franking credits. By virtue of either dishonesty or failure to understand taxation, he has shown himself to be unqualified to lead economic policy.
I always tell people politicians are ignorant they have no real understanding of economics and yet they offer up these ignorant solutions probably because they can only relate to savings in terms of the piggy bank they had as a child when their real job is to see good policy applied that allows a nation to grow, YOU CANNOT TAX YOUR WAY TO PROSPERITY, good policy would see incremental flows of tax receipts while they actually strive to reduce tax for the inhabitants and moderate tax for business to fascilitate ongoing growth ,jobs and infrastructure, they probably spend more time studying public speaking than they do economic policy