Question Time AU

Bill Debate · Second Reading

Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Incentives and Integrity) Bill 2024; Second Reading

House of Representatives · Tuesday 4 February 2025

Official Hansard for this day (APH) · Read this debate on OpenAustralia

At a glance

Luke Howarth moved an amendment to reject the bill, arguing it represented an attack on small businesses through increased taxation and reduced incentives. He opposed changes to the luxury car tax, the removal of deductibility for general interest charges, and the limitation of the instant asset write-off, while supporting measures to combat GST fraud. Howarth claimed the government's policies had led to record business insolvencies and rising energy costs, characterising the bill as a revenue grab ahead of an election.

Outcome

The amendment moved by Luke Howarth was not recorded as passed in the provided transcript segment, which contains only the speech.

Summary in reported speech - not a transcript. AI-generated, so check the official record before quoting.

How the debate unfolded

Opened the debate

Luke Howarth (Petrie) (Liberal Party) Liberal

Howarth opposed the bill, arguing it imposed additional financial burdens on small businesses already facing high insolvency rates and rising energy costs. Howarth criticised the government for restricting the definition of fuel-efficient vehicles for luxury car tax purposes, which he claimed would reduce consumer choice and penalise hybrid vehicle owners. Howarth also objected to making general interest charges non-deductible, stating this was punitive and ignored the complexity of tax compliance for small enterprises. Howarth supported the extension of the notification period for BAS refunds to help combat fraud but opposed the reduction of the instant asset write-off to $20,000.