Qld: State imposes ambulance tax
By Paul Osborne, State Political Correspondent
BRISBANE, Dec 16 AAP - Property owners in Queensland will pay an $85 ambulance taxunder a scheme to start in July 2003.
Landlords of rental properties will be able to claim back half the cost of the levyand charge tenants the other half.
Premier Peter Beattie said today the current voluntary subscriber scheme was losing$23 million a year because of a decline in subscribers and losses would blow out to about$100 million annually within five years.
Mr Beattie said about $8 million a year was being lost from 10,500 "freeloading" non-subscribersrefusing to pay the $755 call-out fee for using the ambulance service.
The government earlier this year asked private health funds to propose alternativesto the subscription scheme, but all were rejected as unworkable.
The cost for family subscribers will fall by $13, but individuals will pay $23 more.
Pensioners, senior card holders and Gold Card veterans won't be billed for their principalplaces of residence, but will be charged for any investment properties.
Mr Beattie, who went to the last election promising no new taxes, said the new schemewas "technically" a new tax and he apologised for it.
"But the reality is we either allow the scheme to limp along or we make it work," MrBeattie said.
The tax will be collected by local government councils under a system which has yetto be finalised.
Emergency Services Minister Mike Reynolds said private health insurers would make theirown decisions on whether to continue their own rebate systems.
Opposition leader Mike Horan today said the "Christmas tax" was a broken election promise.
"Mr Beattie has got funds to pay for the ambulance service if only he managed our financesproperly," Mr Horan said.
He said he would scrap the tax if elected and reintroduce a voluntary subscription scheme.
Liberal leader Bob Quinn said he was concerned about the move's impact on people inpublic housing.
AAP pjo/jhm/drp/br
KEYWORD: AMBULANCE
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