May 12, 2023
National Party Leader and Member for Maranoa David Littleproud has promised a future Coalition Federal Government will scrap the biosecurity levy introduced in this week’s Federal Budget.
The Budget allocated an extra $1 billion for biosecurity, but as AgForce stated on Wednesday, it came with a sting.
From July 2024, a levy will be introduced on producers equivalent to 10 per cent of their 2020-21 levy rates.
This means producers of grass-fed cattle will pay an extra 50 cents per head and a cotton producer will pay an extra 22.5 cents per 227kg bale, on top of their current levy payments.
Mr Littleproud said a future Coalition Government would abolish this levy, which the LNP has described as a “new fresh food tax on farmers”.
“Labor’s Budget measure is a new tax on farmers and food, meaning farmers will have to pass it on to consumers, resulting in higher grocery prices at the checkout,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Why would any Australian government tax their own farmers, to pay for foreigners to bring their products into this country?”
Mr Littleproud said the former Coalition government had been “in the process of delivering a cost recovery model, where importers would pay a levy, commensurate to the risk”.
“Instead of taxing Australian farmers, we will establish an ‘importer container levy’, as recommended by the independent Craik Biosecurity review.
“Under our plan, importers of foreign products will pay for the biosecurity risk they pose, not Australian farmers.”
- Related article: AgForce ‘Disappointed’ With Budget
