During the 2022 election campaign the ALP in a desperate and misguided move to avoid being wedged, agreed to implement the horrendously inequitable Stage 3 tax cuts. But, as Policy Director Greg Jericho writes in his Guardian Australia column agreeing to bad policy in opposition means you own the bad policy in government – except you get no credit for it and all of the blame.

While the Stage 3 tax cuts have always been wildly expensive and unfair, with around half of the benefit going to the richest 3%, but the removal of the low-middle income tax offset (LMITO) has made them even more unfair and politically foolish for the ALP.

Because the LMITO was targeted most at those earning between $50,000 and $90,000 and the Stage 3 tax cuts are least targeted towards those people, it means the removal of the $1,500 LMITO for someone on the median income of $65,000 will only be replaced by a $500 tax cut under Stage 3.

This means the ALP if it continues to implement  Scott Morrison’s tax policy will go to the next election in a position where middle-income earners will be paying more tax than they did in 2022 while people on $200,000 will be $9,075 better off.

That is a weird strategy for a progressive political party to pursue.

In reality, the Albanese government will get no credit for implementing the Stage 3 cuts and will get all the blame for leaving around 75% of taxpayers worse compared to the last year of the Morrison government.

It is time to dump the tax cuts and for the Albanese government to deliver policies that it would be proud to defend. Fairer tax cuts, increase Jobseeker, invest in renewables and other vital infrastructure and improve services.