Victorian Labor has promised to permanently freeze the rate of the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy charged on farmland if it wins re-election this month, the ABC reports.
Agriculture Minister Michaela Settle made the commitment on the Victorian Country Hour radio program on Thursday. "Under a Labor government there will be no increase to the variable rate on agricultural land," she said.
The levy, known as the ESVF, came into effect in July last year to fund fire services, the State Emergency Service and other emergency services. It drew a backlash from farmers and Country Fire Authority volunteers, who called it unfair and unaffordable, with some facing rate increases of tens of thousands of dollars.
Just before the levy started, the government backed down and capped the farmland rate at 28.7 cents for every $1,000 of property value, the 2024/25 rate, The Eastern Melburnian reports. It later extended that freeze for two years. Ms Settle said the cap kept farmers paying the same rate as under the old Fire Services levy.
The Coalition and One Nation have both promised to scrap the levy. The Coalition says it would do so within its first 100 days in government and restore the former Fire Services Property Levy model.
Ms Settle said scrapping it would come at a cost. "When the Coalition talk about axing the tax, they're talking about axing the CFA rebate, they're talking about axing funding for the SES," she said.
Opposition agriculture spokesperson Emma Kealy said Labor's "unfair tax" needed to go. "This is nothing more than a tax grab to boost the bottom line," she said.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Ryan Milgate welcomed the pledge. "This is the first time we've heard any sort of announcement or guarantee about this. I was pleasantly surprised," he told the ABC.
In a statement reported by Country News, Mr Milgate said the freeze kept rates in line with the old system, "but let's be clear, the fundamental design of the ESVF is still flawed". He said farmers deserved transparency over how the money was spent, and that CFA volunteers should not have to "wade through red tape" to claim their rebates.
Mr Milgate told the ABC he did not expect the promise to sway many votes in the November 28 election. "The ESVF is a big issue but there are a whole raft of other issues, so I think for a lot of people this won't make much difference," he said.
