New Tax on Australian Farmers Will Send Food Costs Soaring, Sector Warns

Australian farmer on his property in north-western New South Wales, Australia, on Oct. 3, 2019. David Gray/Stringer/Getty Images

Australian farmers are warning the federal Labor government that its decision to ignore the agriculture sector’s suggestions and increase taxes on domestic producers will boost the price of food and push the cost of living even higher.

The federal government proposed, in its budget, released on May 9, a new 10 percent levy on all domestic agricultural, fisheries, and forestry producers to fund the cost of a new biosecurity system.