PARLIAMENT House in Spring St, Melbourne, has become little more than a den of thieves – at least in respect to the Labor-Green government of Premier Jacinta Allan.
The Victorian government’s Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) has passed the Parliament’s Legislative Council during a marathon sitting, meaning many farmers will now pay more than $80,000 to councils for fighting fires that they usually fight themselves.
The new tax will be charged alongside council rates and replaces the cheaper fire services levy and represents a rise of 189% on the existing fire levy. Regular home owners will faced a doubled fee.
The brazen money grab is allegedly to finance the forced merger of the Country Fire Authority, and its many volunteer brigades, with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade to form the big corporate entity called Fire Services Victoria.
For farmers already burdened with regular rates by greedy councils, environmental charges and rising electricity costs, this is the straw the breaks the camel’s back. But do Allen and her corporate sponsors in Melbourne care? You bet they don’t.
The dirty deal has been done with Green, Legalise Cannabis and Animal Justice cross benchers in the Upper House. The outcome is just another job for the crisis managers that Allan and company believe will simply blow over as the rural community bleeds to death.
Ararat farmer Rob Armstrong, who has been organising rallies rally against the tax, says it feels like extortion and he is right. He also says the effects will rip millions out of rural towns, businesses, shops, rural sports clubs and other organisations
Cairns News suggest militant action is required. Something like a rates strike. This is the tip of the spear of a corrupt socialist regime run by a gang of clueless urban feminists and their hangers-on.
Strangely, the United Firefights Union, who negotiated the merger with Daniel Andrews, are opposed to the massively increased tax. “Your council rates currently include a fire levy that is meant to fund fire trucks and equipment to protect your family,” the UFU says on its website.
“However, the Allan Government want to bring in a new tax – almost doubling the current fire levy. This new tax will be funding existing services that your taxes already pay for. The Allan Government’s new tax is wrong.”
Meanwhile, membership of Victoria’s long-standing volunteer firefighting force has fallen to record lows while the bill for paid firefighting staff and their corporate managers continues to soar.
