Income tax plan won't be split: Morrison

Treasurer Scott Morrison puts little faith in an analysis of his income tax plan by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison says an analysis of his income tax plan by the Parliamentary Budget Office is a joke. (AAP)

Labor will be asked to back the Turnbull government's personal income tax package as a whole when parliament resumes on June 18.

However, it will be a case of who blinks first, with Labor insisting the legislation should be split, to allow low-and-middle-income tax cuts from July 1 but hold off on other measures.

Treasurer Scott Morrison said the package as a whole was needed to ensure the economy steams ahead, following figures released on Wednesday showing the economy grew by 1.0 per cent in the March quarter, lifting the annual growth rate to 3.1 per cent.

"We are putting the whole package to the Senate," Mr Morrison said.

Independent senator Tim Storer won't support the package unless it is split and has vowed not to do any deals with the government in return for his support.

"I do not believe it would be prudent to pass the whole tax package," Senator Storer said.

He will try to amend the bill to remove the measures which start from 2022 and lock in the low-and-middle-income tax offset.

The Parliamentary Budget Office provided Labor and the Greens with year-by-year costings of the income tax cuts, which the federal opposition had sought before considering the legislation.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said the financial benefits of the third stage of the package overwhelmingly flowed towards men over women at a ratio of three-to-one.

As well, by the end of the medium-term (2028-29), stage two of the plan costs $13 billion a year as the stage three costs rise to over $10 billion.

Mr Bowen said the government should split the legislation to allow tax relief to flow from July 1.

"If the Turnbull government wants to do better for low-and-middle-income earners it should support Bill Shorten's bigger, better and fairer income tax cut plan," he said.

Mr Morrison branded the costing breakdown of his plan a "joke", as it was not possible to be precise in individual years over a decade.

His comments echoed those of Treasury boss John Fraser to a Senate committee hearing last week.

The government's whole tax package will cost $144 billion over the next decade.

The cuts will come in three stages, with final component in 2024 increasing the 45 per cent marginal tax rate bracket from $180,001 to $200,001.

It will also remove the 37 per cent marginal tax rate altogether, so all income from $41,001 to $200,000 is taxed at a rate of 32.5 per cent.

(Source: Parliamentary Budget Office)


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Source: AAP


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