Anthony Albanese has revealed he intervened to delay the Australian Taxation Office’s credit card ban.
The delayed policy stops the ATO accepting credit cards for tax debts to avoid it absorbing hundreds of millions of dollars in surcharges.
After days of fury from small businesses, Treasurer Jim Chalmers last week announced extra funding to cover the surcharges until the fiscal year’s end.
Addressing the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s gala on Tuesday night, the Prime Minister revealed he intervened after exchanging texts with the peak body’s chief executive Andrew McKellar.
“Andrew did text me last Thursday morning, and by Friday morning we had an announcement,” Mr Albanese said.
He said it showed trust that “you can have a discussion, saying: ‘It’s in hand, I agree with what you are saying, and I’ll get it done. There’ll be an announcement this time tomorrow’.”
Mr Chalmers insisted there was consensus when he fronted media on Wednesday morning.
“We agreed that it would be appropriate to find a better way through for small business,” he told ABC’s Radio National.
“We engaged with the business community on the Thursday, as we do frequently on these sorts of issues.
“Then (Assistant Treasurer) Daniel Mulino and I took a proposal to ministers on the Friday morning, after I discussed it with the tax commissioner very early on Friday morning, and by late Friday morning we had stepped in to provide a much longer transition period so the ATO has the time to consult with business and to get this important change right.”
But opposition economy spokesman Tim Wilson said there was a “pattern” of Mr Albanese overriding Mr Chalmers.
“The Prime Minister has a kink for punishing small businesses and a fetish for humiliating his treasurer,” Mr Wilson told News24.
“So I see this as a consistent pattern of behaviour where the Prime Minister constantly goes in, overrides his treasurer, humiliates him in public.
“So yes, I suspect it’s going to sour the relationship somewhat.”
More to come