Antinuclear

Liberal and Labor pander to mining industry in plan for tax favours to Northern Territory

Greens leader Christine Milne says Labor’s vision for the north panders to the wishes of the mining lobby.

Gone Troppo: Northern visions just ‘pie in sky’  ABC News, Staff reporters  Aug 16, 2013 A respected independent think tank says both major parties are pursuing the worst idea in decades with their plans for tax incentives to encourage investment in northern Australia.

The Australia Institute executive director Richard Denniss says Labor and the Coalition are pursuing bad policy in a bid to win a handful of seats north of the Tropic of Capricorn. “The idea that the national debate should revolve around shifting billions, tens of billions of infrastructure up away from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to chase a few seats up north is politics gone mad,” he said…..

Dr Denniss says it is worrying that there is bipartisan support for the ideas. “There is bipartisan consensus that people in the southern states should continue to pay taxes at the same rate so that we can build new infrastructure, so that people can pay less tax up there,” he said.

“Sydney and Melbourne are creaking under the weight of rapid population growth, and we want to build infrastructure for imaginary cities.”

Greens leader Christine Milne says Labor’s vision for the north panders to the wishes of the mining lobby.

“Gina Rinehart wants a northern economic zone so that she can have bigger tax breaks, so that she can have fewer and fewer restrictions in terms of industrial relations,” she said.

“I find it appalling, first of all, that Tony Abbott would go for it but more so that Kevin Rudd would go for it as well.”

Charles Darwin University economics Professor Bill Mitchell says the ALP’s plan for a special northern economic zone won’t lead to any long-term benefits.

Professor Mitchell says it won’t be enough to offset the disadvantages of the Territory’s remoteness for big business…… http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-16/rudd-northern-development-plan-reaction-australia-institute-gre/4891530

August 17, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | election 2013