That’s the message from the Australian Retail Council (ARC), which has called for tax and regulatory reform, citing $2.6 billion in annual costs from inconsistent state and territory rules. CEO Chris Rodwell told SkyNews that industries affected by the oil crisis would benefit from tax and regulatory reform.
"We have on the table a piece of work around the fragmentation tax," he said.
"That is states having different rules for essentially the same area, whether it's about the environment, transport and logistics. It's going to come at a cost to the economy of over $26 billion."
Rodwell added that better alignment between federal and state governments could help address inflation.
"We need the government to step in, do something about fragmentation tax and get some harmonisation going," he said.
"That will put more downward pressure on prices."
The ARC estimates that addressing regulatory inconsistencies could enhance retail productivity and deliver significant economic benefits. A one per cent increase in productivity would raise real GDP by $3.2 billion, generate $1.3 billion in annual household savings, and create 13,000 new jobs across the economy.
Retailers encounter challenges with varying state container deposit schemes, which require duplicate reporting and registration and differ in accepted item types.
Paul Cooper, chairman of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, advocated for a unified national response to the oil crisis. He referenced the National Cabinet model used during the pandemic and noted the failure to apply those lessons.
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