ONGOING concerns of Dinner Plain residents were raised recently in Parliament by Nationals’ MP for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, who demanded Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes revoke the unfairly applied Vacant Residential Land Tax (VRLT).

Mr McCurdy said Dinner Plain has unjustly found itself without exemption from the VRLT unlike neighbouring regions and is subsequently at the mercy of the imposed land tax.

He said the amended Land Tax Act is, in this instance, a contradiction of both its application and intended purpose.

Mr McCurdy said the tax, designed to encourage owners of vacant residential homes to make them available for long term accommodation, is in direct conflict to the homeowners and businesses of Dinner Plain, as they experience seasonal demand for accommodation due to its geographical position and likeness to the criteria of Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV).

“Dinner Plain, although outside the jurisdiction of Alpine Resorts Victoria, fulfills all the definitions of being an alpine resort and for the purposes of the Land Tax Act should be considered as such,” he said.

“Dinner Plain is unique in that it is the only alpine resort which has not been exempt from the VRLT."

Mr McCurdy said he has requested this anomaly to be corrected to avoid any unfair treatment against Dinner Plain householders and businesses.

“It has a similar cyclical snow season to the other alpine resorts, lasting from June to early October, and runs the same snow season dates as the ARV resorts,” he said.