Wayne Swan the treasurer seems at odds with the tax summit being offered to key independent MPs in return for their support to form a Labor government. Mr. Swan said that the tax was not on the summit agenda and that he would like to get this into legislative shape as quickly they possibly can.
He said that while he would not stop ideas from the Henry Tax Review being discussed at the summit, they had already been rejected previously by the government. He added that the tax would not be on the summit’s agenda as the government was in the process of designing the measure and preparing legislation for parliamentary approval.
The 30% Minerals Resource Rent Tax or MRRT had been negotiated in July by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the three major mining companies. However this had not been seen as satisfactory by a number of smaller and mid tier mining companies who have been asking for another revision of the tax.
Two of the independents who have won support for the summit for backing the Labor minority government are Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor. Of them Mr. Windsor is very keen to discuss the mining tax at the summit.