Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I know that the Labor Party is allergic to tax cuts. Let me tell you something about tax cuts: tax cuts leave more money in people's pockets. That stimulates the economy. I'll say it to you again, because we haven't had any questions recently about wages growth: effective wages growth under our government is substantially higher than it was under yours, because what matters to the Australian people is their take-home pay. Their take-home pay is higher (1) because the real wages growth is higher than it was under Labor and (2) because we have put the money that they've worked hard for back into their pockets through $300 billion worth of income tax relief. More money in workers' pockets stimulates the economy, and you were against it. You went to the last election campaigning for higher taxes on income, on investment, on housing, on energy, on anything that moved, and the Australian people condemned you for it. They voted to keep you out of government because of it. (Time expired)