In the battle of the tax cuts Bill Shorten is doing well
Bill Shorten outbids Turnbull's tax cut for lower and middle income earners Shorten pledged to give bigger income tax cuts for 10 million taxpayers. Lukas Coch/AAP Michelle Grattan , University of Canberra Opposition leader Bill Shorten has launched a tax bidding war, promising to top the government’s tax relief for lower and middle income earners, as he prepares to fight a string of byelections in Labor seats. The Labor alternative almost doubles the budget’s relief for these taxpayers, incorporating the early part of the government’s plan and then building on it. Delivering his budget reply in Parliament on Thursday night, Shorten pledged to give bigger income tax cuts for 10 million taxpayers. Some four million would get A$398 a year more than the $530 under the government’s plan. Labor’s “Working Australians Tax Refund”, would cost $5.8 billion more than the government’s plan over the forward estimates. Labor’s alternative comes as debate intensifies abou