Victorian businesses will be further punished for the Andrews Government’s financial incompetence as it refuses to rule out new taxes to fund its sick pay guarantee scheme long-term.
Questioned at the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing today, Treasurer Tim Pallas refused to reveal how much extra employers and small businesses across the state will be forced to pay to fund the scheme, adding further uncertainty to thousands of families and communities that rely on them.
Under Labor, net debt is expected to increase to $171.4 billion in 2026-27, with taxpayers being forced to pay close to a quarter of a billion dollarsto fund its sick pay scheme so far.
Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Bridget Vallence, said Victoria is broke, and that it is not fair to expect businesses to pick up the tab once the trial ends.
“The Andrews Government has refused to rule out slugging businesses with another job destroying tax, adding further pain to small businesses and hurting employment opportunities,” Ms Vallence said.
“After punishing Victorians and businesses with a swathe of new taxes in their latest brutal budget, Treasurer Tim Pallas has failed to rule out that more taxes are coming.”
