Article by Dylan Caporn courtesy of The West Australian.
Australians should receive a “much-needed” Christmas bonus from the Federal Government, in the form of another fuel excise cut for December, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart believes.
Speaking out after hearing about the impact of cost-of-living rises from West Australians at the National Agriculture and Related Industries Day, Mrs Rinehart said halving the 44.2¢ a litre excise would provide relief.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison’s government halved the fuel excise to 22.1¢ a litre in March last year, offering six months of cost-of-living relief to drivers.
That subsidy came as global oil prices rocketed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was credited with keeping fuel price rises to a minimum.
It was said to have saved families $300 over six months.
“Most people forget that the government taxes every tank of fuel we use at around 50¢ per litre (including GST), so when politicians say there’s not much they can do about it — the truth is, there is,” Mrs Rinehart told The West Australian.
“It could happen from the first of December and then, if you must, put it back to usual after Christmas, the longer after Christmas, the better.
“Let this be a very much needed Christmas bonus for the country at a time when millions of Aussies need it more than I’ve seen in decades.”
Mrs Rinehart said Federal and State government taxes and charges continued to rise, putting more pressure on family budgets.
