Leader of the Federal Opposition, the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, will today be touring the Lower Hunter region at the invitation from Federal Member for Paterson, Bob Baldwin MP.
Tony Abbott and Bob Baldwin will visit Bloomfield Colliery where they will be discussing with the company the impact of the Rudd Labor Government’s proposed 40 percent mining tax
“Both Tony and I have grave concerns with the Rudd Labor Government’s great big resources super tax on the mining industry and how it will direct and indirectly affect jobs in the region” said Mr. Baldwin.
“The resources super tax will slug the mining industry, put the future jobs of hundreds of thousands of Australians at risk and will savage the retirement savings of millions of Australians. It already hit both workers and self-funded retirees whose superannuation funds have been invested in resource stocks.
“There will also be a downstream effect of Rudd’s new tax on the specialised mining support industries which are positioned across the Hunter in particularly located at Rutherford, Thornton, Beresfield and Tomago.
“The future of the mining industry is too important to the Hunter economy to become the next victim of the high spending, high taxing Rudd Government” said Mr.Baldwin.
“Put this on top of the ETS tax that Kevin Rudd has shelved for the moment, which would increase everyday household costs by $1100 per annum, it would threaten17,000 Hunter jobs by 2025 according to the New South Wales Labor Government’sown report commissioned through Access Economics,’ said Mr Baldwin.
“This is a double whammy for this industry. The Rudd Labor Government still intends to inflict these devastating taxes on the people of the Hunter.
“I have invited Tony Abbott to the region today to listen to those in the know, and to those whose livelihood is on the front line,” Mr Baldwin said.
