With the Victorian Liberals tipped to win big at the state elections this month, the party’s health spokesperson has confirmed an earlier pledge to axe payroll tax for GPs.
At an RACGP and AMA Vic-hosted debate on the weekend, shadow minister for health Georgie Crozier told doctors that a Liberal government would “absolutely” abolish GP payroll tax.
“She was quite forceful and clear that the Liberal-National coalition believed that it was an impediment to business and to general practice provision, and that general practice provision is vital,” Melbourne GP Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, who was in attendance, told The Medical Republic.
“And so they [the coalition] would remove the requirement for payroll tax for general practice in particular. It might well apply to non-GP private practice as well, but that wasn’t specifically spelled out.”
The call was seconded by Greens MP and former GP Dr Sarah Mansfield, but not by incumbent health minister Ingrid Stitt.
The One Nation representative, state deputy leader Colleen Harkin, said she would take more advice about the proposal before committing.
“I think it was very reassuring that all parties sent a representative and saw health as being important to be part of, and AMA Victoria and the state RACGP put on a very good show,” Dr Haikerwal said.
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Under the current settings, Victorian GP practices could get a partial exemption on payroll tax for contractor doctors based on the proportion of bulk billed work they did.
A fully bulk billing practice, for instance, was theoretically exempt from payroll tax on its GP contractors.
Victoria will head to the polls on 28 November.
The Labor party won three back-to-back elections, but vote forecasters said it was “quite unlikely” that it would have a clear path to government.
Labor oversaw a broad expansion in pharmacist-led prescribing; the most recent change allowed pharmacists to supply menopausal hormone therapy and GORD medicines without a GP prescription.
Its health platform included free dental care for all Victorians via 20 new public dental clinics, as well as opening 250 more public hospital beds and hiring 750 more nurses across 12 emergency departments.
The Liberal-National coalition, however, was “moderately likely” to have a clear path to government.
Its health promises included building new ambulance stations, introducing retention incentives for regional doctors, employing protective service officers to work as security across seven major hospitals, partnering with private hospitals to cut public elective surgery waitlists, and opening Australia’s first proton beam therapy service.
The post Vic Libs hold to payroll tax pledge as election looms appeared first on Medical Republic.
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