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."
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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.
