Vol. 19 No. 35
FREE PUBLICATION
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Australian Editorial Award 2016
STILL GOING: Vintage-car enthusiast Fred Lewis of Jeparit parks his rustic 1928 A Model Ford among other display vehicles during Wimmera Against Cancer in Kids Horsham Car and Bike Show. Mr Lewis, who has modified the vehicle ‘only slightly’, said the farm ute was originally a four-door tourer and ‘went like a charm’. He was one of many involved in the May Park show on Sunday. Story, page 13. Picture: DEAN LAWSON
Taxi tax fear T
BY DEAN LAWSON
he owner of a Wimmera taxi service believes a proposed $2 levy for taxi fares is frightening elderly and disadvantaged people who rely on taxi services in the region.
Horsham Taxis owner-manager Russell Carter said he and his staff had already fielded a variety of concerns from people who feared they would be unable to afford the increased costs. The State Government wants an indefinite $2 levy system in place for all taxi fares by next year to fund a taxi-license buy-back scheme. Mr Carter said the concerns had
Ebony trades fish for a car Details page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
prompted him to organise a petition for Horsham district residents to convince the government to abandon the plan. Mr Carter said people in the Wimmera could ill-afford to be without regional taxi services and regional taxi services could ill-afford to be without clients. “This is certainly the scenario we might be looking at if the levy became a reality,” he said. “I’m not sure the decision makers in Spring Street would realise that about 70 percent of fares for a taxi business operating in Horsham would be for elderly and-or disadvantaged people. If they did, they
would not have considered the levy a viable option. “The government is always busy trying to provide elderly people with good services, but what we’re seeing in this circumstance is giving with one hand and taking away with the other. “If these people suddenly believe they can’t afford a taxi, they will forego some of their opportunities for social interaction, let alone medical needs, and that’s not good for anyone. “And of course, we haven’t even mentioned the impact on Joe and Jill Average who might want to simply go out somewhere or get home.”
Impost
Mr Carter said the levy proposal fell short of dealing with the issue from a statewide perspective. “The system the government wants to introduce won’t work fairly across the state, especially in regional areas. It is not a one-size-fits-all idea and will be a greater impost on regional areas than in metropolitan centres.” He added that providing a taxi service in the country was about offering a vast variety of services and the levy system penalised the short-trip fare, which represented a critical part of regional taxi business. Continued page 3
• Country music festival feature • Weekly TV guide • Football-Netball countdown
artisanHP 0787
Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
In For A Slice Of Shopping?
AUDITED: 22,524 COPIES
April 2016 to September 2016
Source: AMAA; CAB Total Distribution Audit for further information visit www.auditedmedia.org.au
Try Our Cafe 22 Home Made Super Jelly Slice!
HORSHAM
PLAZA K MART • SPOTLIGHT • THE REJECT SHOP NQR GROCERIES • SPECIALTY STORES WWW.HORSHAMPLAZA.COM.AU DARLOT ST. PH 5382 0912
OVER 500
CARPARKS AVAILABLE