NT to consider GST changes

The Northern Territory government says it will consider proposed changes to the distribution of GST funds.

The Northern Territory government says it will study the proposed changes to the GST but has vowed to continue to fight for every dollar.

The changes were unveiled by the federal government on Thursday and are designed to iron out wrinkles in the GST distribution system.

"The Territory is a small jurisdiction and any changes to the way GST revenues are distributed will have huge impacts on the Territory," NT Treasurer Nicole Manison said in response.

"We will always fight for Territorians and our fair share of GST revenue, and we will continue to push to get every dollar we deserve."

Under the new proposals, the benchmark will shift over eight years to a new standard that will ensure the fiscal capacity of all states and territories is at least the equal of NSW or Victoria (whichever is higher), evening out the impact of extreme events such as the WA mining boom.

They will also involve a permanent boost to the pool of funds with the states and territories slated to receive $67.3 billion in GST payments in 2018/19, rising to $112.25 billion in 2028/29.

Ms Manison said the NT government would not accept any deal that left the Territory worse off.

"We'll work through the changes to understand the ramifications of what's being proposed," she said.


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Source: AAP


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