Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

GST change must not hurt states: Labor

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says any changes to the way GST revenue is carved up must not leave any state worse off.

Labor says the federal government must rule out making any state or territory worse off by making changes to the way GST revenue is distributed.

A Productivity Commission draft report released on Monday recommends changes to the mechanism used to crave up revenue between the states and territories - known as the horizontal fiscal equalisation system.

"It's incumbent on Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull today to rule out making any state worse off," shadow treasurer Chris Bowen told reporters in Sydney.

Western Australian has suffered under the present system, which saw its share reduced to 30 cents in the dollar at end of the mining boom.

The coalition government has made a $1.2 billion top-up payment to the state, while Labor has promised a further $1.6 billion payment should it win the next federal election.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

However, the commission says providing top-ups or setting a GST floor are not longer-term solutions.


1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world