It’s all over the news that Julia Gillard is considering increasing the Medicare levy by roughly $300 a year to help pay for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Even before this announcement, Tony Abbott has been telling us that the NDIS is only possible, or plausible, after the Government (presumably his) can return us to a surplus.

When the Gillard Government proposed the Flood Levy in 2011 to assist (mainly) Queenslanders, you may recall that Tony Abbott opposed the levy as he claimed we did not need it as our economy was strong and we could save the money in other ways. He claimed there was no need to inflict the public with another levy.

Thanks to Shane, a fellow author at the Cafe Whispers blog I would like to point out the hypocrisy of his comments in comparison to the ‘levy for everything government’ (Howard’s) he was a member of between 1996 and 2007.

In 1997 our budget deficit was $5.4 billion and a gun buyback levy was imposed as a result of the tragic massacre in Tasmania. While this was a tragedy and the removal of guns fully supported by myself, there was no natural disaster or infrastructure decimation. The levy imposed simply bought back guns people owned. The Levy went from Oct 1996 to Sep 1997. We were in deficit, so OK we needed a levy for a one off event.

In 1999 our budget surplus was $4.3 billion and a Stevedoring Levy was introduced out of ideological determination to break the MUA and Industrial Reform. This levy lasted from 1999 to May 2006. We were in surplus so under Abbott’s rulings this levy should not have been introduced as we had enough money collected as taxes already.

In 2000 our budget surplus was $13 billion and an 11c a litre levy was introduced as a result of ideological determination to deregulate the dairy industry which forced thousand of farmers off the properties to pay them an exit grant. This was supposed to reduce milk prices to the public. It simply reduced milk prices to the farmers sending thousands of them to the wall. This levy was in existence from 2000 until it was abolished by the Rudd Government in 2009. This was an extremely expensive levy placed on the public as milk is a staple. We were in surplus so under Abbott’s rulings this levy should not have been introduced as we had enough money collected as taxes already.

In 2000 we also had the East Timor Levy at a time when our budget was in surplus by $13 billion. We were in surplus so under Abbott’s rulings this levy should not have been introduced as we had enough money collected as taxes already.

In 2001 our budget surplus was $5.9 billion and a levy of $10 per return flight ticket was introduced to compensate workers who lost their entitlements due to the collapse of a privately owned business who did not provide allowance for employee benefits. This levy lasted from Sep 2001 to June 2003. In addition $100 million of the funds raised was used for airport security and nothing to do with Ansett employees. We were in surplus so under Abbott’s rulings this levy should not have been introduced as we had enough money collected as taxes already.

In 2003 our budget was in surplus by $7.4 billion and a 3c per kilo levy on sugar was introduced as a result of ideological determination by the government to deregulate and reform the sugar industry. This levy ran from January 2003 to November 2006. Once again a savage levy on the general public. We were in surplus so under Abbott’s rulings this levy should not have been introduced as we had enough money collected as taxes already.

So while the ‘levy for everything government’ had massive surpluses they slugged us via levies with a summary as follows.

1996: Gun Levy
1997: Gun Levy
1998: No levies
1999: Stevedoring Levy
2000: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, East Timor Levy
2001: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Ansett Levy
2002: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Ansett Levy
2003: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Ansett Levy, Sugar Levy
2004: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Sugar Levy
2005: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Sugar Levy
2006: Stevedoring Levy, Milk Levy, Sugar Levy
2007: Milk Levy

In addition, other than the gun buyback and Ansett Levy, the other levies were political ideology deregulation levies. Not one levy was as a result of a social need like the NDIS or a natural disaster like the Queensland floods, both effecting hundreds of thousands of people, but rather ideology busting.

Now, Tony, please re convince me of your argument. Or are you still just the consummate hypocrite?