Time for the facts: Costello - our highest taxing treasurer

The Howard government’s growing neglect of our health and hospital system has been exposed again, with reports today adding to the mounting evidence of Peter Costello as Australia’s highest taxing Treasurer ever.

Mr Costello is very good at patting himself on the back, but here are the facts he doesn’t like to share with the Australian people:

• Commonwealth tax as a share of GDP has risen to an all time high of 24.6 per cent of GDP in 2006-07, up from 22.8 percent in 1996-97 – according to official data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

• Total payments to the states and territories, including grants and GST revenue, have fallen to their lowest level in a decade – at 6.5 per cent of GDP in 2006-07, compared to 7.2 per cent of GDP in 2001-02 according to the Government’s own Final Budget Outcome.