Angus Taylor says he wants a fight on tax | ABC NEWS

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Opposition leader Angus Taylor joins us now in the studio. Angus, great to see you.

[00:00:04]>> Great to be with you. Good morning.

[00:00:05]>> Uh so things got a bit fiery in Parliament yesterday.

[00:00:07]>> It got to be willing. Um but, you know, all it was was reflecting the anger that I hear every day uh when I'm out talking to farmers and small business people who are being smashed by Labor's toxic taxes. And uh they are deeply concerned about where this goes. They want to get answers to hard questions about it. And the Prime Minister is not giving us those answers.

[00:00:27]>> But do you regret saying what you did?

[00:00:29]>> Well, I had to withdraw it, but I got to tell you that it was mild compared to what I'm hearing every day.

[00:00:34]>> Is he getting Is the PM getting under your skin? It seemed like he was really getting annoyed.

[00:00:38]>> I I I think he's getting pretty annoyed.

[00:00:39]But look, the truth is that people are angry. I mean, I I've talking to small business people every day and I have never seen anything like this. These people are the backbones of our communities. They get up early hours.

[00:00:52]They work incredible hours. Day blends into night, weekends into weekdays. Uh these family businesses are so important to our communities and to our country.

[00:01:02]Uh and and they are going to get hit with big taxes, huge restructuring costs, and they're deeply concerned about a government that says it's all right.

[00:01:11]>> Uh look, just to put it into context for our viewers who missed it yesterday, uh the wording I won't repeat the wording, but you said arrogant something to the Prime Minister which you then had to withdraw.

[00:01:22]>> Um just on general policy, high-income earners pay 47 cents in the dollar once they earn above $190,000. Is that too high?

[00:01:31]>> Well, um we think it's getting too high because of inflation. I mean, this is why the tax back guarantee will ensure that inflation doesn't take more income tax from people. What happens every year now, James, is because of inflation, your average tax rate your tax rate goes up every year, year on year. Typical learner, uh it's right now it's about $500 a year they're losing. Uh and we think that that should go back to the taxpayer, not to the government. With raging inflation, the government is taking money out of people's pockets and putting it into their own.

[00:02:04]>> At 47 cents in the dollar above $190,000, this is why negative gearing, all these other investment strategies are so popular because tax is so high.

[00:02:13]So, do you think it's just theoretically right now too high?

[00:02:16]>> But James, I'll give you an example of where this thinking is is quite wrong.

[00:02:20]If you're a small business person and you've been busting yourself for years and years and years to build a business and then you're able to sell it. You're making no money and then you're able to sell it and make more in a particular year. And you will pay 47 cents in the dollar, but that's a result of years and years of work where you have given up earning anything, you've given up taking anything from the business, you've put it all back and this government wants to whack these people with what could be very close to a 50% tax rate. It is not fair. It is a war on aspiration and it is why people are deeply angry at what this government is doing.

[00:02:56]>> Is the answer to lower the tax rate though, right? Everyone does, you know, put some tax onto capital, which is what the government's saying it wants to do and lower income taxes in the long run.

[00:03:04]>> But but let's be clear, the government's raising the tax rate every year through inflation. That's what's happening now.

[00:03:09]That's why many of your viewers here today will feel like they can't get ahead, they're they're worse off than they were a few years ago. Well, a key factor in that is that their tax rates are going up year on year on year because of inflation. And that should stop and that's what my tax back guarantee does.

[00:03:26]>> You've been saying that the government should have put these tax changes to the people.

[00:03:32]Matt Canavan is saying he wants an election, they should call it now.

[00:03:36]>> They should take it to an election. They absolutely should take it to an election. Well, look, first of all, I would say they should have taken it to an election in the first place. I mean, it's deeply dishonest of this government and this Prime Minister to say for the 50th time uh, that he wasn't going to impose capital gains tax changes and negative gearing changes on Australia, hard working Australians, and then change his mind. I mean, it was just an outright brazen lie. So, he should have taken it to election. And now he should take it to an election. Now, if he refuses, which I'm sure he will, we will take it to the next election.

[00:04:11]>> You don't want You don't want You don't want an early election, though, do you?

[00:04:14]You got 12% in Farrer the other day. You surely don't want a campaign right now.

[00:04:17]>> do whatever it takes to axe these toxic taxes, because this is a war on aspiration in this country. We need to make sure people who are having a real crack, risking their families livelihoods, uh, taking working 24/7 every day, get a fair go, and they're not getting a fair go under this government. These people were in pain, small business owners were in pain before the government went down this track. It's getting a whole lot worse now. So, we will fight for them every day and do whatever it takes.

[00:04:48]>> Can I just pick it up? Axe these toxic taxes. That takes me back to about 2012.

[00:04:53]Your office, the people around you have sort of a Tony Abbott-esque flavor. And now today Tony Abbott [snorts] is going to make a comeback to Liberal Party politics. Do you see that he has a future in federal parliament?

[00:05:04]>> Well, can I make two points on this? One is they are toxic taxes. This is a tax grab that Treasury Secretary The Treasury Secretary yesterday admitted that this was just a revenue grab. It's going to reduce the supply of housing. It's clearly a war on aspiration. And so, they are truly toxic taxes. Tony was a great leader of the party. He was one of the very few who have ever taken us from opposition to government. I have huge respect for him, and I know he will be a great president of the party.

[00:05:34]>> Do you want to see him back in parliament?

[00:05:35]>> No, I want to see him as president of the party, and I'm very confident he's about to become the president of the party.

[00:05:40]>> Well, I think you're your fam- some of your family members involved in that. I just want to Is there a seat? Could you find a seat for him? Could you find a spot for him in the Senate? Would you like to see him back?

[00:05:48]>> I don't think that's part of any plan.

[00:05:50]The plan is for Tony to be president of the party and I'm looking forward to that because Tony has fought rotten labor governments in the past that declare war on aspiration that impose taxes on Australians that shouldn't be there that don't understand how to control our borders and they don't value citizenship and firmly believe that he has a lot to contribute and he will contribute as president of the party.

[00:06:13]>> Is there any room to move in terms of you know they're talking about possible carve outs? Is there any room for you to say okay yes this compromise yes we will now support any of these changes?

[00:06:23]>> Look these these taxes don't need a carve out they need an ax.

[00:06:28]They are just wrong for this country at this time. We need less taxes not more.

[00:06:32]>> But if you don't negotiate the greens will and the greens will have the say and the influence over how this gets through Parliament.

[00:06:37]>> Look honestly I keep it simple James.

[00:06:40]These these taxes are wrong for this country. They are wrong for the hardest working Australians in this country.

[00:06:45]They are wrong for the people who put it all on the line every single day and so we are against them.

[00:06:51]They should be axed. The government look honestly we asked them multiple questions in Parliament this week about what a carve out would look like. They haven't got a clue. They don't understand their own policies. You've got the Treasury secretary saying one thing and the treasurer is saying something completely different. We have modeling out today to say that renting rental costs will go up housing supply will go down construction jobs will go down. These taxes are wrong for this country at a time like this when Australians are really doing it tough.