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Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy) Bill 2013

Introduced into the House of Representatives on 15 May 2013

Portfolio: Treasury

Overview

1.1        The bill seeks to amend the Medicare Levy Act 1986 to increase the low-income threshold for families and dependent child-student component of the threshold in line with the CPI. The purpose of the bill is to ensure that low-income families who were exempt from the Medicare levy in the 2011-2012 financial year will continue to be exempt in the 2012-2013 financial year if their incomes have increased in line with, or by less than, the CPI.

Compatibility with human rights

1.2        The bill is accompanied by a self-contained statement of compatibility which notes that the bill engages the right to health guaranteed by article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).[22] The statement notes:

Increasing the low income threshold for families promotes the right to health by ensuring that low-income families who were exempt from the Medicare levy in 2011-12 income year will continue to be exempt in the 2012-13 income year if their incomes have increased in line with or less than the CPI, promoting their access to the health care system.[23]

1.3        The statement of compatibility concludes that the bill is compatible with human rights ‘because it promotes the right to health by ensuring that those families on lower incomes are not liable to pay the Medicare levy, therefore providing equality of opportunity for people to enjoy access to the health care system without additional financial burden.’[24]

1.4                 The committee considers that the bill does not appear to give rise to human rights concerns.

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