Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong. I refer to my question yesterday in which I asked the minister to rule out increasing taxes to pay for the $120 billion black hole of new spending promises the Labor government has made just since the May budget—that is, in the last three months. Given the minister did not answer the question, and not wishing to be unfair to her, I now give the minister another opportunity and ask: will the minister rule out, once and for all, increasing taxes in order to meet the government's promised surplus and to pay for the government's $120 billion of spending commitments—yes or no?