We gave rolled-gold GST promise: senator

Liberal senator Ian Macdonald says the coalition government gave a rolled-gold promise not to increase the GST when it was introduced in 2000.

A senior Liberal senator says he won't support increasing the GST to 15 per cent.

Senator Ian Macdonald says he is one of the few members of parliament who was around when the 10 per cent GST was introduced in 2000.

"I won't be supporting it, and the main reason is that those of us who were there at the time gave a rolled-gold commitment that we would not be part of any increase beyond 10 per cent," he told ABC television on Sunday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week appeared to cast doubt that his government would go ahead with a change in the GST as part of its tax reform package.

Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos is saying "nothing is inevitable".

"I think it is correct to say that he hasn't been persuaded that the GST is some sort of silver bullet," Senator Sinodinos told Sky News on Sunday.

But he said the debate over tax reform can't run too much longer.

"Clearly there has been a lot of discussion out there. The next stage people want to see the colour of our money, or the colour of their money, in a way we want to play with it," he said.


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Source: AAP



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