Circling again to an interview from earlier at this time, and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has appeared on Sky Information to defend federal cupboard’s lack of consensus on the subject of the much-talked about stage three tax cuts.
The cuts, which have been legislated by the Morrison authorities, have been supported by Labor on the federal election. However there are renewed calls to ditch them given they’re estimated to value the finances backside line round $240 billion over a decade.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones.Credit score:Alex Ellinghausen
Right here’s the related change between Jones and Sky Information presenter Peter Stefanovic. The back-and-forth has been edited for size and readability.
Stefanovic: Appears like there’s going to be some motion [on the stage three tax cuts]. So are you able to rule out at the least amending them?
Jones: What I’ll rule out … is making certain that we don’t add to or make a nasty scenario even worse. We’ve got obtained to take care of the playing cards that we’re dealt. We’ve obtained to make sure that as we’re placing collectively this tough finances we don’t make a nasty scenario worse.
Stefanovic: It sounds to me … that you simply’ve obtained your eyes on these stage three tax cuts.
Jones: We’ve obtained our eyes round repairing the finances, making certain that we don’t make a nasty scenario worse and making certain that we try to put some sustainability into the finances shifting ahead.
Stefanovic: So that you gained’t go away them as is?
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Jones: You possibly can ask the query a dozen alternative ways, and I don’t blame you for that. However you’ll forgive me for answering it in the identical manner. We’ve obtained a tricky scenario. I’m not making finances bulletins right here in your program, as a lot as I take pleasure in [our] conversations.
Stefanovic: Would you be ready to interrupt an election promise if you need to?
Jones: Look, I’m not even going to ponder that. We’ve obtained to take care of the scenario that confronts us right here and now. So I don’t wish to get right into a hypothesis scenario.
Stefanovic: Is it true the experiences suggesting that the precise of the get together don’t need the stage three tax cuts modified, however the left do?
Jones: This isn’t a left-right factor. You’ll discover sturdy opinions on this on each aspect and each totally different flavour. And in my expertise of our get together in extra of thirty years … these form of left and proper issues actually don’t maintain up while you’re coping with tough and difficult financial coverage questions. They don’t usually, and so they don’t at this time on this difficulty.
