Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the subject of election promises and taxation.
ABC Fact Check 1 May 2014:
In an interview on Melbourne radio on April 29, Mr Abbott did not deny that the Government was considering such a levy.
"There's been speculation, as you know, about a deficit reduction levy. Certainly, my intention is that people like myself - high income earners - should bear a significant quantum of the burden when it comes to sorting out our problems," he said on 3AW.
"We want taxes going down, not going up. But, when you're in a difficult position, sometimes there needs to be some short-term pain for permanent and lasting gain."
Mr Abbott has long set a high standard when it comes to keeping promises. On August 22, 2011 he said: "It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards. Nothing could be more calculated to bring our democracy into disrepute and alienate the citizenry of Australia from their government than if governments were to establish by precedent that they could say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards."
"It is an absolute principle of democracy that governments should not and must not say one thing before an election and do the opposite afterwards."
Tony Abbott - August 22, 2011
What exactly did Mr Abbott say about new taxes, and when? ABC Fact Check takes a look at his statements from the last parliamentary term and during the 2013 election campaign.
'Lower, simpler, fairer taxes'
Mr Abbott focussed heavily on tax policy issues after failing to form minority government following the August 2010 election. Speaking in parliament on October he said: "We stand for lower, simpler, fairer taxes, not great big new taxes that damage Australia's economy, not great big new taxes that are yet another hit on the cost of living of struggling Australian families."
On November 16, 2010 he said: "The Coalition will end the waste, repay the debt, stop the big new taxes and, above all else, stop the boats." Mr Abbott also repeated his "lower, simpler, fairer" statement.
During a speech on November 24, 2010, prompted by the third anniversary of Labor's 2007 election win, Mr Abbott again used the "lower, simpler, fairer" phrase and added: "We are Liberals who believe in smaller government, lower taxes, greater freedom."…
During his first budget reply of the 43rd parliament, on May 12, 2011, Mr Abbott said: "People can be confident that spending, debt and taxes will always be lower under a Coalition government because we have the record to prove it." In this speech the then opposition leader also repeated his call to reduce spending instead of imposing a levy to aid with the cost of flood reconstruction. "We have offered to work with the government... on finding savings instead of increasing taxes," he said.
In 2012, in Mr Abbott's budget reply on May 10 he said people who work hard should not be "hit with higher taxes".
In 2013, Mr Abbott's budget reply speech on May 16 focused on removing the carbon and mining taxes. "We want taxes that are lower, simpler and fairer and will take proposals for further tax reform to the following election," he said.
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