THE ACT government has called on Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson to correct statements made to media on Friday when he made no distinction between commercial and residential rates notices.
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The Canberra Liberals' 2012 election campaign centred on claims that Labor and the Greens planned to triple household rates.
During an interview with ABC radio Mr Hanson, who is in his second week in the top job as Liberal Opposition Leader, said some Canberrans' rates had jumped 100 per cent.
''We've already spoken to many people in the community whose rates have gone up 100 per cent in one year,'' Mr Hanson said. But Treasurer Andrew Barr has accused Mr Hanson of getting it wrong.
''He has failed to realise there is a difference between household rates, and commercial rates for local businesses. As part of the tax reforms announced in the 2012-13 budget, commercial land tax was abolished by combining it with commercial rates,'' Mr Barr said.
But Mr Hanson said he did not need to make a distinction between commercial and residential rates.
''The conversation was about both residential and commercial [rates] … I didn't separate the two out. Rates are rates - whether they are going up residentially or commercially.''
