THE Shooters, Fishers Farmers (SFF) party has amped-up the call to cut taxes for businesses in regional NSW.
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SFF NSW upper house member Robert Borsak joined Tamworth candidate Jeff Bacon in Walcha on Monday to call for an exemption to payroll tax and commercial vehicle and property stamp duty for the next five years to combat declining regional and rural populations.
Mr Bacon said it was “no exaggeration” regional taxation was a matter of life and death for small towns.
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“It’s not just Walcha, look at towns like Manilla, Barraba and Werris Creek,” Mr Bacon said.
“ABS census data show their populations are stagnating and ageing.
“Young people are leaving in droves.
“Main street businesses are closing shop.
“Are we going to just let these towns die?”
Betts Transport manager Bev Betts said payroll taxes and stamp duty were killing jobs in Walcha.
“We are a small business that pays $18,000 in payroll tax every month,” she said.
“We could employ four more workers if we didn’t have to pay that.
“Government needs to encourage growth in small towns.
“Walcha’s been struggling ever since we lost our sawmill [in 2015].
“There’s no jobs here anymore.”
The findings from a state inquiry into regional taxation recommended small businesses relocating to regional NSW should get exemption from payroll tax for a year and commercial stamp duty waived until mid-2019.
The treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, said wages in NSW had seen their biggest annual lift in four years, according to ABS figures.
The NSW Wage Price Index rose 1.2 per cent in the September quarter to be 2.4 per cent higher through the year.
Mr Perrottet said the government’s reforms such as cutting payroll tax and slashing red tape was having a benefit to businesses across the state.
Kevin Anderson was contacted for comment.