CAPE TOWN: Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has announced support for a compromised 15 per cent backpacker tax that he’s hopeful will pass federal parliament this week during the final sitting week of 2016. The tax will revert to 32.5pc if the parliament is unable to resolve the matter this week causing further upheaval in the agriculture sector amid concerns about the ongoing loss of critical, seasonal overseas workers.
Mr Morrison said he hoped the backpacker tax issue would be resolved as soon as today and expressed gratitude for the support of SA Senator Nick Xenophon and Victorian Senator Derryn Hinch, while adding he was now waiting for One Nation’s response. He also pointed to the pragmatic input of SA rural Liberal MP Tony Pasin and other crossbench Senators and members who had worked “passionately” with the government to find a solution. But he was scathing of the Labor party for “blowing up” the issue and the federal budget with the government’s 15pc compromise, from its original position of 19pc, set to cost the budget $120m.
“This matter has gone through needless difficulty because of the bloody mindlessness and the political game playing of the Labor party which we see writ large every single day,” Mr Morrison said. “It’s not an opposition committed to actually helping people in rural and regional Australia or in areas that are deeply affected by changes taking place in our economy. “It’s just an opposition led by a phoney who wants to cause havoc, on every single occasion. Mr Morrison said the government had been listening to members who’ve been working with the government on the backpacker tax issue which the farm sector opposed increasing to 32.5pc.
