Rudd does little with Henry Review to help families
Family First Leader Senator Steve Fielding says the Rudd Government’s response to the Henry Tax Review is too focused on the top end of town and doesn’t go far enough for ordinary families.
These new tax reforms might help put more money in the government’s coffers but I can’t see how they’ll do much to help ease the stress on the family budget,” Senator Fielding said.
“What families care about most is trying to feed their kids and pay their mortgage, yet out of an 800 page review the Rudd Government has only come up with few practical measures to help these people.
“It’s disappointing the government has largely ignored the recommendations by Ken Henry which would go towards making housing and childcare more affordable.
Housing affordability:
“The Henry Review suggested getting rid of stamp duty to make housing more affordable yet the government has let down all Australians by failing to make any mention of this in its response.
“The Government needs to sit down with the states and work out a better way forward, because at the moment, stamp duty is just a tax grab that is adding thousands of dollars more to people’s mortgages.
“We should be doing everything we can to make it easier for our families to achieve the great Australian dream of owning their own home.
“I would have liked to have seen the review look at the idea of letting first home buyers access part of their superannuation to put a deposit on a house so they can at least get a foot in the door in the housing market.
Childcare:
“Ken Henry’s idea of giving low-income families a 90 percent subsidy for childcare makes a lot of sense and it’s something I’d like to see taken up by the Government in next week’s Budget.
“We should be doing more to support working families by taking the financial pressure of childcare off our most vulnerable people.
Baby bonus:
“I’m concerned with the review’s recommendation to remove the baby bonus because it is something that thousands of mums and dads rely on when having children.
“Anyone with kids knows that having a baby isn’t cheap and we should be making sure that all families can continue to afford the essentials like medical bills and nappies.”
