The Australian government has turned down calls for raising the Medicare levy to alleviate the strain on the health systems across states and territories.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said while the government acknowledged that the public health system was under pressure, it was not considering lifting the levy temporarily or permanently.
“That’s not something that we’re considering, but we do want to work with the states and territories to make sure that we can adequately fund their health systems,” he told reporters in Canberra.
The Medicare levy is a type of tax imposed on Australian taxpayers to help fund the country’s public health system. The levy is two percent of an individual’s taxable income and is calculated when they lodge their tax return….