REGIONAL households will be hit up for an extra $60 a year on average, to help fund emergency services as part of a series of tax hikes being introduced by the Victorian Government.
The Fire Services Protection Levy (FSPL), currently paid by council ratepayers, will be replaced from July 1 next year with a new Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF).
Former Glenelg Shire councillor and Tahara farmer, John Northcott said, “what can you say?”
“There’s so many things to get angry about,” he said.
“The state of the things is terrible.
“You’ve just got to look – there’s another 2-3 businesses in town closing down.
“There’s 100 houses for sale in Port Fairy – there’s so many things going on.
“They should just cap it (the ESVF) at CPI at two per cent, for example.
“It’s outrageous to slug Victorians with this increase.”
Last Friday, minister Jaclyn Symes announced more than $250 million to support CFA and VICSES volunteers across the state.
The government said the extra revenue will go towards making sure emergency volunteer services have the resources they need to keep Victorians safe and to help them recover.
This includes VICSES, Triple Zero Victoria, the State Control Centre, Emergency Management Victoria, Emergency Recovery Victoria and Forest Fire Management Victoria, in addition to the CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria.
Importantly, emergency service volunteers will be exempted from the ESVF.
Active volunteers and life members won’t have to pay the ESVF on their primary place of residence (such as a house or farm).
The spike in the FSPL coincides with a rise in parking in inner city Melbourne with an increase to a congestion levy, while a $100 car registration discount for electric vehicles will be cancelled.
The hike in levies and fees is part of the Victorian Government’s mid-year budget update which also shows the state is $1.4 billion further in deficit this year than forecast in May’s budget.
As with the FSPL, the ESVF will be collected by councils and appear on rates notices and will be calculated at cents per $1000 of capital improved value, lifting it from 8.7 per cent to 17.3 per cent, meaning the state will raise an extra $2.1 billion more than the old fire services levy.
Emergency Services minister, Jaclyn Symes said regional communities were asking more of their local SES volunteers than they ever have before, “which is why we’re giving them more funding, new trucks and the latest technology”.
“Our emergency services put their lives on the line without a second thought,” she said.
“This package is about making sure they have what they need to keep all of us safe.”
“Every single dollar raised by this new fund will support our emergency and disaster recovery services – helping them to keep communities safe 365 days a year.”
“As part of the major funding package, the Labor Government will invest $70 million to establish a rolling fleet replacement program for VICSES and the CFA – ensuring volunteers right across Victoria will get new and upgraded trucks, tankers and pumpers to keep doing what they do best.”
The government will also double the annual Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) with more than $62 million to ensure more volunteers have new or upgraded vehicles, equipment and better station facilities.
The government will also be investing $53 million into a modernised VicEmergency app with a central database for our emergency services, EM-CO, $30 million will go to deliver training and support programs.
Treasurer, Tim Pallas – who resigned from parliament last week – said the increased funding would help the state respond to more natural disasters.
“If you go back and check the expenditures the state has had to make over the last 10 years, those unexpected payments for inundation events, for fire events, are getting bigger and bigger all the time,” he said.
“We can pretend that this is all capable of being done within the existing revenue base of the state.
“Or we can be honest with people and not make lame excuses when their livelihoods and their wellbeing are at stake.”
Mr Pallas said the increase to the levy would impact the average ratepayer at the cost of one coffee a month, or about $1.20 per week.
But the Opposition were scathing, with Coalition Deputy leader, Danny O’Brien calling it a snub to regional Victorians.
“It’s a desperately unfair tax, with primary produces forced to pay a 189 per cent increase in fire taxes,” he said.
“It was Labor’s 57th new or increased tax or charge.”
Shadow treasurer, Brad Rowswell said, “All Labor’s new tax grab will do is put further pressure on prices of essential goods and services during a cost-of-living crisis, at a time when inflation remains high”.
Further information on the ESVF is available at bit.ly/3VJxB3Q
