A federal Labor government would consider personal income tax cuts - once the elusive budget surplus is achieved.
In the meantime, taxpayers will face a choice of tax hikes, or higher tax hikes, when they head to the polls at the next federal election, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says.
He wouldn't be nailed down on a commitment to tax cuts when he delivered his budget reply speech at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.
"It's not a firm policy because we are not in a position to make one at this time," he said.
"It is a statement, I think, of the bleeding obvious, that when things are better, when the budget is in surplus, then we can look at things like tax relief."
He said voters at the next federal election could choose between Labor's plan to raise taxes for those earning more than $87,000 a year, or the coalition policy to raise taxes for everyone earning more than $21,000 a year.
Mr Bowen said Labor envisaged a return to surplus the same year as government projections, in 2020/21.
