Unfair tax to be voted on in Upper House

Published on 14 May 2025

On behalf of the Mansfield Shire community, Council is making one last plea to the state government to ditch the Emergency Services Volunteers Fund (ESVF) bill.

Under the ESVF, primary producers face triple the tax they are paying now.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said Council stands firm on its position, which has been stated clearly and repeatedly by Council and by all regional councils across Victoria.

“We have a united position here and are in support of Rural Councils Victoria and the Municipal Association of Victoria.

“Council voted unanimously on this issue. This tax is unfair on our communities who cannot afford to pay extra at this time. We’re in the middle of a drought and times are already tougher than they have been in years. A tax like this will be crippling for some of our community.

“It is an excessive burden that is being asked by the state government of our community and of us. We estimate that it will cost more than $2m on top of rates to our community. Every dollar of that goes to pay for decisions made in Spring Street instead of to our farmers, families and small businesses.

“It’s not just farmers that will pay. Yes, farmers will be paying an unfair proportion, but everybody is being asked to significantly increase their taxes. Everyone will have to pay more if they own a building or a home, your taxes will increase. Further to that, how can farmers continue to manage their businesses without increasing costs? When every community member buys food for their families at the supermarket, they will see the impact of this tax on their grocery bill.

“This will have significant flow-on effects that will send ripples through our community,” said Cr Rabie.

“We are very, very careful with how we spend money. We know every dollar counts – you can see this in our budget, which is open for community feedback now. We listen and consult with the community when we make decisions. But here we are, being put in a position where our community will have to cough up on a massive tax increase without being asked.”

The controversial Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESVF) legislation will be voted on tomorrow, Thursday 15 May. The bill has already passed the Lower House and requires the support of the opposition or six members of the crossbench to pass.

“We have written to voting members of the Upper House to ask them to vote no on the tax.

“We’re asking one more time. We hope all members of the Legislative Council will read our letter, listen to what regional communities are saying and vote no to this tax,” said Cr Rabie.