ANDREW BOLT: Well, alright, we’ll see about that. Now Christopher, GST. CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I’m going to plant a tree in your house, just to give you the – ANDREW BOLT: No need, when it comes to planting trees, I’ve got plenty. CHRISTOPHER PYNE: You can never have too many. ANDREW BOLT: Chris, I understand the Liberals’ real policy is to rule out a GST in the first term only, of an Abbott government, and leave it open after that. Now you went further, under pressure, on ‘Q&A’ this week. Just have a listen. CHRISTOPHER PYNE: There will be no change to the GST in an Abbott government. ANDREW BOLT: In any Abbott government – I mean, have you actually gone too far? Is this your Julia Gillard moment? You know, “There will never be a carbon tax under a government I lead”? Will that be hung around your neck like an albatross, and should you, now, just rephrase what you actually meant? CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Andrew, there will be no GST under an Abbott government. There was never going to be. We believe that the GST should be part of a tax review, it would be bizarre if it wasn’t. But if the tax review comes back and recommends an increase in the GST, an Abbott Coalition government will not increase the GST, for a whole host of reasons. ANDREW BOLT: Now I know not in this term, I know in this – in the next term. But I know that you went further than Liberal Party policy. I don’t know – this will be hung around you, to make you look like a liar, in time – in the future. CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well, I don’t believe that’ll happen, Andrew, because I’m absolutely confident there will be no increase in the GST under a Coalition government. So it won’t be hung around my neck, because I will not be proven to be wrong. ANDREW BOLT: Christopher Pyne, it was a great pleasure to catch up. CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Thanks, Andrew.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 02:15:00 +0000