Fed: Beazley fends off higher tax claims

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2001
Fed: Beazley fends off higher tax claims

Opposition Leader KIM BEAZLEY has sought to blunt coalition claims a switch to Labor
in the upcoming federal election will saddle voters with a high-taxing, high-spending
government.

With tax looming as the central poll battleground, Mr BEAZLEY is pledging a Labor government
will not ramp up taxes to pay for its GST rollback.

Instead, he says the ALP will slow the pace of planned reforms to social services such
as education, health and aged care.

Mr BEAZLEY told the Seven Network he would rather slow the rate of reform than raise
taxes because Australians are already living under the heaviest taxing government in the
country's history.

He says it is easier to roll back the GST than to implement the government's flagged
cuts to income taxes.

AAP RTV rft/jh

KEYWORD: TAX (CANBERRA)

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