This story by Charlie Lewis first appeared in Crickey on 5th September 2023.

Teal independents represent some of the richest electorates in the country. How might their constituents react to their proposed tax reforms?

Goldstein

Zoe Daniel’s seat of Goldstein has, according to her, the most laid-back constituents when it comes to tax reforms that may affect them. In April, Daniel told the ABC she had conducted a survey that revealed a “pragmatic” view of the government’s stage three tax cuts.

“Of the responses that we have received, roughly 78% of people have said at the very least that the tax cuts need to be reconsidered,” she said. “Given that many of those people would stand to benefit from the tax cut, I think that’s significant.”

And though she’s said that the “broad feedback” in her electorate is that changes to concessions available to people with $3 million are “reasonable”, she has dismissed them as ineffective and “a class war tactic”:

There are ways to raise much bigger amounts, like taxing multinational gas companies on windfall profits, for example, which the government won’t go anywhere near. So if we’re going to talk about tax, let’s talk about it.

Along similar lines, Daniel has also called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Goldstein is Victoria’s richest seat, with a median weekly household income of $2377.