The Balranald Shire this year passed a pedestal tax requiring businesses to pay $100 for every toilet in excess of two. As a result, the council has effectively taken a dump on the tourism industry.
“Travel restrictions have hit the tourism industry hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotels should not be forced to piss away thousands of dollars on a toilet tax.”
“Currently, the federal government is spending billions to subsidise the travel industry, but the Balranald shire is forcing hotels to flush those funds down the proverbial toilet,” said ATA Director of Policy, Emilie Dye. “In lieu of new and creative local taxes, the councils should be allowed to keep more of the traditional tax revenue collected in their community.”
“Local government collects a mere 3.4 per cent of tax revenue, while the federal government greedily laps up 81.4 per cent of the revenue. The commonwealth government expects councils to provide all of the practical services, like sewage, that allow a community to function, while siphoning off the bulk of the funds.”
“The Balranald Shire needs to repeal the shitty pedestal tax before all the hotels in their local area go under, and the federal government needs to make councils privy to the money already collected in their area.”
