Thursday, 1 October 2026

“The Albanese government’s war on small business has continued with higher costs from surcharge bans, followed by the ATO’s announcement they’ve closed paying tax bills by card because of surcharging. These changes double-tap small business with higher costs”, said Shadow Treasurer, Tim Wilson.

Mr Wilson’s comments come in the wake of the credit card surcharge “ban” commencing and the ATO revealing it will be sneaking in an announcement today that they’re no longer accepting credit card payments, rather than absorb the costs like every small business will have to do.

“Small business is being double ‘tapped’ by the Albanese government when there’s already near record insolvencies, business closures and collapses in profitability”, Mr Wilson said.

“Today the Albanese government is going to double ‘tap’ the local café, the community pharmacy and the tradie, not the big supermarkets who get preferential terms from the banks”, Mr Wilson said.

“The ATO says it wouldn't be appropriate to pass merchant fees on to the community, yet that is exactly what the government is forcing every small business in the country to do. There is one rule for Canberra and another rule for the corner store”.

“The ATO sat on this until the very morning the ban started. If the government's own tax collector can't absorb the cost, how does the Treasurer expect a family-run cafe to?”

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned the ban “will not save Australians from the cost of transaction; it is just pushing up prices and hurting small business”, with ACCI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar labelling the ATO's decision “utter hypocrisy”.

Mr Wilson said, “Australia needs a stand-up economy, not a sit-down economy, where small businesses are backed, not billed. That's why the Coalition is standing with small business and fighting for a Small Business Act that makes Canberra count the cost before it hands down decisions like this”.

[ENDS]