Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I would invite the Labor Party to release their costings. I would invite them to cost how much it will raise. I would invite them to tell us what the impact will be in the reduction in the number of smokers. I would also appreciate if they would advise us whether they would regard this tax as being regressive or progressive, given that is a matter that I notice the member for Fraser was speaking on just as I came in.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Ms Butler interjecting—

The Labor Party have been full of invention today, and they have spent much of the day pretending that the government has already introduced a GST on fresh food and health products. The shadow Treasurer, the member for McMahon, said: 'The government tells us, of course, there is no alternative but to do things like taxing fresh food, to set a price signal on health and education and jack up the GST.' No doubt he will produce the quotations, the documents where he has found us saying that, because we have said no such thing. Then you have the member for Ballarat tell the ABC in Gippsland: 'You have the Turnbull government basically saying what they want to do is raise revenue through a 15 per cent GST on fresh food and health.' We have said no such thing. The only people that keep on talking on about 15 per cent are the opposition.

There is always a little bit of poetic licence taken in political debate, but inventing statements that were never made is simply not going to persuade anyone. The opposition should think about making some solid proposals to return to the business of improving the economic efficiency of the tax system.

See this speech in context