In response to the Treasurer’s essay in the The Monthly, Greens’ Treasury spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim, said that Jim Chalmers’ pledge to remake capitalism will be nothing more than hollow words unless he ditches the Stage 3 tax cuts, starts taxing super profits, and takes real action to look after people and the environment, the Greens say.
“This looks like the latest in Labor’s 40 year tradition of trying to put lipstick on the pig of neoliberalism,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“Dr Chalmers’ purple prose will mean nothing unless he and his government take concrete and urgent action to address twin crises of rising inequality and the breakdown of the planet’s climate and ecological systems.”
“Ditching the stage three tax cuts and ending subsidies for fossil fuel corporations are absolutely essential if Dr Chalmers is even halfway serious.”
“Anything less will expose his essay as a purely rhetorical excersise.”
“Handing over hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthy isn’t remaking capitalism, it’s turbocharging it.”
“And making social services delivery contingent on the goodwill of corporations and philanthropists is just the latest neoliberal nonsense that will see more people worse off while corporate profits continue to expand.”
“We don’t need to genuflect to the rich. We need to make them pay their fair share of tax and so the government can provide high quality public services to people who need it the most.”
“We also need to end the massive handouts and tax breaks for fossil fuel corporations that are allowing gas giants to reap super profits while accelerating the breakdown of the climate.”
“Words are cheap. There are genuine crises facing us all and they demand action. This is the test for Dr Chalmers.”
