The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has welcomed the axing of the controversial $2000 a year cap on tax deductibility on work-related self-education expenses.
The ANMF had warned the tax, announced by former Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan in April, compromised the delivery of safe patient care – if nurses and midwives were unable to afford their ongoing education and professional development.
ANMF Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas, said yesterday: “This is great news for all of our members.
“We thank the Federal Government for listening to the ANMF and all our member colleagues who took part in the Scrap the Cap Alliance.
“This cap would have adversely impacted the amount of self-education, continuous professional development and post graduate studies our members could have undertaken in the future, under this policy.
“It was a ludicrous policy, given that it is mandatory for nurses and midwives to continually upgrade their skills and professional development and would have been a real disincentive for nurses and midwives to improve their clinical skills and keep pace with new health technology, pharmaceuticals and treatments.
“That’s why the Federal Government’s decision to scrap the cap is a real victory for common sense.”
Ms Thomas said the ANMF also thanked the 70 member organisations of the Scrap the Cap Alliance, covering more than 1.6 million professionals, including universities, nurses, engineers, accountants, lawyers, veterinarians, allied health professionals and small business operators.
The ANMF, with over 230,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing in Australia.
