Release: The government owes farmers more than tax relief

Release: The government owes farmers more than tax relief

The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, the nation’s largest grassroots advocacy group representing taxpayers, today welcomed the coalition’s move to give drought stricken farmers a tax reprieve, but called on the government to fix the problem they started when they founded the Murray Darling Basin Authority in 2007 instead of relying on band aid solutions.

“Tax cuts stop the government from beating drought stricken farmers while they are down, but they do little to pick suffering farmers up off the dry ground,” says ATA Communications Manager, Emilie Dye. “Farmers need water not handouts, or subsidies, or even tax holidays.”

“The MDBA still has a stranglehold on farmers and continues to restrict water access during a drought. They have recently gone as far as to attack NSW farmers legally holding rainwater runoff in dams. 

“Such an antagonistic organization toward farmers should not receive a dollar of taxpayer money let alone the $13 billion given to the MDBA for the explicit purpose of withholding water from farmers. Meanwhile parliament is in a fierce debate to determine whether they will dribble out some tax relief.

“It isn’t like farmers with dry fields have income on which to pay taxes anyway. And they won't have taxable income in the future if the government doesn’t fix water regulations. The MDBA has forced farmers to the back of the water line. It is time we put farmers first.

“If anyone deserves reparations in the form of tax relief, it is the farmers whose homes are currently being destroyed by poor policy. The government had best get their act together before they force more farmers off of the land their families have held for generations.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Emilie Dye

Communications Manager

Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance

+61 0433 764 923