Tax cuts aimed squarely at regions, PM declares

Anthony Albanese has assured country Labor voters they will be better off under Labor's changes. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

Regional Australians will overwhelmingly benefit from stage three tax cuts with more than eight in 10 bush residents better off under the federal government's revamped plan, Labor modelling shows.

Cuts will flow to 13.6 million taxpayers including 86 per cent of the workforce beyond the nation's major centres, Anthony Albanese told Country Labor conference delegates at Nowra on the NSW south coast on Sunday.

Some 960,000 taxpayers across regional and rural areas of the state would come out financially in front of where they would have been, had Labor not tweaked the stage three package, the prime minister said.

"Our tax cuts are aimed squarely at regional Australia."

Mr Albanese repeated his claim that the opposition's gut reaction had been to reject the changed stage three cuts and promise to roll them back.

"Then, because they actually heard the Australian people’s strong support ... they changed their mind, gritted their teeth and said they’d support them after all," he said.

"Even then, they’re still dreaming of rollbacks."

It was a message he was also keen to spruik during a visit to address business and community leaders in the NSW Hunter Valley on Saturday.

Low and middle income earners breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after the changes cleared a major hurdle, passing the lower house of federal parliament with support from the coalition and cross bench.

Under the amended proposal, Australians earning under $150,000 will receive a greater tax cut than under the original plan.

Those earning above $150,000 will still receive a tax cut but less than previously forecast.

The legislation will move to the Senate for debate and if endorsed take effect from July 1.

The opposition did put forward an amendment to the bill, suggesting changing the legislation's name to include the phrases "broken promise" and "entrenching bracket creep".

Mr Albanese promised during the 2022 election campaign Labor would not alter the stage three cuts but said economic circumstances had changed since the original measures were brought in during 2019.

"We want Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn," the prime minister is due to tell conference delegates on Sunday.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store