The GP Tax is a tax, as Joe Hockey himself admitted in May this year.
“It comes out of a pocket. It comes out of someone’s pocket. A taxpayer’s pocket … You can call it whatever you want but, it’s a – it’s tax.” JOE HOCKEY, ABC Q&A, 19 MAY 2014
And it’s not just any tax, but a whopper of a tax, that hits Australian families for more than $13 billion over the next decade.
In the world of Joe Hockey, poor people may not drive, and North Sydney may have a high rate of bulk billing, but in the real world the GP Tax is Joe Hockey’s hand in the pocket of every Australian every time they visit a doctor, order a blood test, or have a scan.
A tax is a tax is a tax, Joe, and the GP Tax is a terrible burden on the nation’s health system that is bad for patients, bad for doctors and bad for the long term health of the nation.
And Joe, yes it does apply to standard consultations for people with chronic diseases – check your Budget papers.
It’s time to listen to what Labor and most health experts have been telling you since day one – the GP Tax is a disaster and should be axed.