CFA volunteers and farmers protest Victoria’s proposed Emergency Services Levy

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Protestors angry at the Victorian Government’s new emergency services levy brought peak hour traffic to a crawl this morning. The group of farmers and volunteer fire fighters are pushing for the tax to be scrapped saying it is unaffordable.

Transcript

00:00A slow-moving convoy of fuming farmers and firefighters.

00:07Strap the tax! Strap the tax!

00:10Arriving at Parliament with a message for the Premier.

00:13Go and fight your own fires. We've had it off.

00:17At issue is a new, more expensive emergency services levy

00:21to be charged alongside council rates, replacing the existing fire services levy.

00:27I know a farmer who's with this tax, he's going to have an annual bill of $100,000.

00:32That could go towards, that could hire someone, potentially even two people.

00:35Primary producers are charged at a higher rate under both schemes.

00:39But all landowners will face a hike if the legislation is passed.

00:43Financially in the country at the moment, it's a massive strain.

00:47And yeah, we're all doing it bloody tough.

00:49For residential properties, the levy calculated per $1,000 of capital improved value

00:55will go from 8.7 cents to 17.3 cents.

01:00For primary production land, that goes from 28.7 cents to 83 cents.

01:05We've introduced this change because we want to increase support.

01:10Increase support for our emergency services to bring funding to the state emergency services.

01:16It is time the government listens, works with the crossbench and ensure that this tax is stopped.

01:22Outside the Premier's office in Bendigo, another angry group gathered.

01:26A 189% increase in tax on our fire service levy.

01:30We're the ones fighting the fires and paying the tax, so go figure, how does that work?

01:34For CFA volunteers, tax exemptions have been flagged.

01:38But only on their primary residence, leaving hectares of farming land liable.

01:43In my case, my property is over seven titles.

01:46We're in drought.

01:47A lot of people are forking out a lot of money on feed.

01:50It's putting a lot of mental pressure on farmers.

01:53The legislation is due to go to a vote in the upper house as soon as Tuesday when Parliament returns.

01:58And some opposed to the new tax have vowed to return to Spring Street next week

02:02to again drive home their objections.

02:04the competition has vowed to return to the summer.

02:06The National plaintiff is basically an individual person's economy Sam,

02:07formal equity, and tax rates of trust with wool.

02:08The central government labels the h�ые chains must reach south to the facing.

02:09Another joint capital.

02:10What is a festival here?

02:11It is therefore a festival here at some of our tracks.

02:12For a festival at high school at night.

02:13Ulysses, thecillic co-monnaie

02:19a cultist and rollerblree bry questions.

02:23Aelnutí of 1911.

02:25Yeah.

02:28And that's what really about up in New York City.

02:29In this case it was really important for taking his actions.

02:31But out of the water rights.

02:32But they are not having no other 59IA, the syllable when lots of NV,

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