West Australian Treasurer Ben Wyatt has ruled out revisiting a gold royalty hike that was twice killed off in the upper house.
The revised scheme would have increased the royalty rate from 2.5 per cent to 3.75 per cent when the gold price was above $A1400/ounce instead of the previously planned $1200/oz, and also included an assistance package for marginal gold mines.
"I'm not going to revisit this unless the gold sector want to come up with a particular proposal," Mr Wyatt told reporters on Thursday.
He said he still believed the gold sector could afford it and some miners were comfortable with the plan but a "very small number" scuppered it.
"It's simply a belligerence by a few members of the gold sector," he said.
"The argument about jobs and marginal mines, which the gold sector was arguing, that was simply a furphy because ultimately our second package dealt with those concerns and they still said no.
"The gold sector doesn't want to pay any more money."
Mr Wyatt said the $332 million over four years that the hike aimed to raise would be reflected in next month's mid-year economic review.
"The Liberals put us in this position and net debt will increase accordingly," he said.
Mr Wyatt made the comments while announcing changes to payroll tax exemptions for trainees, which had been abused by tax-dodging companies, saying closing the loopholes would save about $100 million over four years.
The money will be used to fund training, not reducing ballooning state debt.
