State Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has accused the state Government of putting regional healthcare at risk with Labor’s Health Tax.
In a statement, Mr McCurdy said the move by the State Government would mean backdated payroll tax is levied on local GP clinics, resulting in tax bills of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars and placing the ongoing viability of some clinics at serious risk.
However, a State Government spokesperson has refuted any suggestion of change to the status quo.
“Payroll tax is assessed in the same way across industries and professions – there has been no change to the law or the application of the tax in relation to GPs or medical centres,” the spokesperson said.
However, McCurdy fears the plan will mean that Victorians would be priced out of healthcare and put more pressure on the emergency system.
“It is already challenging to see a GP in regional areas, with many people having to wait two weeks or more just for an appointment,” Mr McCurdy said.
“Because Labor has slapped another tax on local GP clinics, the out-of-pocket cost to locals will increase, with fewer bulk-billing clinics.
Mr McCurdy has said that the state government has failed to regard the consequences of their actions on regional Victorians.
“They are expecting regional services to deliver the same or greater outcomes, yet at the same time are pulling more and more money out of them,” he said.
“Labor should be ashamed that they are making it harder for GPs when we need them the most.”