Petition

This petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the
attention of the House:

a) That the GST was intended to replace 7 indirect State Government taxes
that are regarded as unfair and inefficient.
b) That the Queensland Government is receiving more revenue than it
expected under the GST agreement, generating a $1.1 billion surplus and
GST windfalls worth $737 million this year alone.
c) That Queenslanders were given a reason to believe State Government
taxes would be cut under the GST agreement as part of a new national tax
system.
d) That the Beattie State Labor Government signed an agreement in 1999
that initially required a range of State Government stamp duties to be
abolished, however, as a result of the exemption of GST on food, were not
required to immediately abolish stamp duties and were granted a 5 year
adjustment period on condition the State Government review the remaining
6 unfair and inefficient State taxes in 2005.
e) That land tax is an unfair and inefficient tax which distorts economic
decision-making.
f) That stamp duties are crippling Queensland home owners and small
business owners and decreasing housing affordability.

Your petitioners therefore request the House to call on the Beattie State
Labor Government to immediately abolish all 6 remaining unfair and
inefficient State taxes the GST was meant to replace as part of the
promise of the Beattie government made to Queensland taxpayers to review
such taxes.