Port in parliement debate on land tax

Jessica Benton
The State Opposition has used Portarlington in parliament to highlight the impact of increasing land taxes on businesses.
Member for Northern Victoria Donna Petrovich told parliament limited service station facilities between St Leonards and Drysdale demonstrated the impact of soaring land taxes. Ms Petrovich said the lack of facilities had shocked her during a recent holiday on the Bellarine Peninsula.
“There are no service stations as a result of the high real estate prices in that area and the high land tax that’s being imposed on many of those places,” she said.
“They simply can’t sustain the high rents passed on to businesses because they are seasonal.”
Portarlington Community Association president Monica Hayes pointed out that the town did in fact have a service station but it operated on limited hours in a relatively low-profile location “off the main drag”.
“Most locals get to know the trading hours but visitors often don’t know about it because of the little signage and advertising and location.
“The limited trading can be difficult for locals and particularly visitors who suddenly realise they’ve got a quarter of a tank and need to fill up the car or boat.”
Ms Hayes said Portarlington had gone from three service stations to one in five years.
Bellarine MP Lisa Neville defended State Government’s “strong record” on land tax reform, including over $2.5 billion in cuts since 1996.
“Land tax isn’t paid on the family home and the threshold has been increased so properties worth less than $225,000 don’t pay land tax,” she said.
“We’ve implemented reforms which mean the vast majority of land taxpayers (80 per cent) will receive smaller bills or pay the same amount as they did last year.”