Labor welcomes today’s remarks by leading businesswoman Elizabeth Proust that the Abbott Government’s GP Tax is unfair, and unnecessary.
The chair of Nestl Australia and the Bank of Melbourne was responding to Treasurer Joe Hockey’s complaint about a lack of support from big business for his disastrous Budget.
Speaking on ABC Radio AM Ms Proust said:
I think that what’s holding a lot of people back from doing that is that many of the measures – the GP co-payment, for example – are seen to fall unfairly on those who can least afford it. And I would expect that’s the reason holding business back from doing so.
The rejection of the GP Tax by one of Australia’s most senior businesswoman comes just days after Coalition MPs went public, admitting they had been receiving “overwhelmingly negative” feedback from constituents about the tax.
Health Minister Peter Dutton himself last week admitted there are patients who “can’t afford” his $7 GP Tax.
With business leaders now joining his own MPs in declaring the GP Tax to be unaffordable, Tony Abbott should join with Labor and most experts in the health field and abandon his unfair and regressive attack on Medicare and axe the GP Tax.