Toowoomba Regional Council calls for larger allocation of Federal taxation

Toowoomba Regional Council is backing a campaign that aims to increase the Financial Assistance Grants available for local government throughout Australia.

As part of the campaign being led by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), the move is being endorsed by Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio.

“Few organisations deliver the range of services that local governments provide for their customers on a daily basis,” he said.

“Despite this, local government receives just 0.55% of funding from the Federal Government which simply isn’t enough.

“This campaign calls on the Federal Government to restore the level of Financial Assistance Grants for local governments to at least 1% of Federal taxation revenue.

“This will reverse the 20 year erosion of Federal support, and allow local governments to better deliver services and maintain essential infrastructure for their communities.”

In total local councils raise 3% of all the taxation revenue in Australia and are required to manage 33% of public assets. In comparison, the Federal Government collects 80% of taxes and manages 11% of public assets.

“There are high expectations on local government and it’s vital we receive an equitable allocation of funding from the upper levels to support local government organisations throughout Australia,” Mayor Antonio said.

“In particular, the smaller-sized councils need this model changed or they simply won’t be able to stay afloat.

“Local government can not be left to shoulder the full cost of providing essential infrastructure to our growing communities in addition to meeting residents’ expectations across our other activities. We will continue to advocate for our fair share of funding to achieve the best results for our community.”

The motion to support the LGAQ and ALGA campaign was passed unanimously at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 19 February 2019.

For more information contact Council on 131 872.