Why the premier needs to create some safe distance from Canberra

May 21, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Why is the Labor premier of NSW going in to bat for high wage earners less than a year out from an election in which, polls repeatedly show, cost of living is overwhelmingly the top issue for voters?

To remind you, on Wednesday, when asked about the federal government’s changes to capital gains tax (CGT), Minns called for “urgent” income tax cuts. “Working families”, he said, were being “stung”.

“You’re working Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday for yourself, and then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the government,” he said.

“That’s a tough burden for a lot of families.”

Which working families was he talking about, though? Minns’ comments were peculiarly focused on the top marginal tax rate of 45 per cent, plus the 2 per cent Medicare levy.

To put that in real terms, the top tax bracket in Australia is about $190,000, and the 45 per cent rate only applies on every dollar earned above that.

So even the premier of NSW, whose total pay package is about $416,000, only has an average tax rate of about 37 per cent.

In other words, anyone being taxed at 47 per cent of their income would be living in a very different world to any of the working families I know.

It seems a strange cohort to fly the flag for.........

© The Sydney Morning Herald