Patient fees for a standard consultation in Newcastle are set to rise by $10 to $15 this month due to the NSW government hitting contracted GPs with payroll tax . Login or signup to continue reading Doctors are angry that the Minns government promoted the tax as a "bulk-billing initiative". The government said it would provide a "new, ongoing payroll rebate" to clinics for contractor GPs that meet bulk-billing thresholds of 70 per cent.
Whitebridge doctor Max Mollenkopf said the government was, in a sense, pulling a "bait and switch" by hiding the tax behind a "bulk-billing initiative" that many would not benefit from. "This is not going to change the billing behaviours of any GPs in Newcastle," he said, adding that it would not improve bulk-billing rates. Dr Mollenkopf, who owns the independent Whitebridge Medical Centre, said corporate medical centres would benefit most from the government's payroll tax moves.
Independent clinics with about six to 15 full-time equivalent GPs would be most affected. "There is an increasing squeeze on GP practices when you have a fine being introduced effectively in the form of a tax," he said. "This will have to be passed on to consumers.
" Dr Mollenkopf said GPs were "increasingly facing a watershed moment" and patients were getting a "dud deal". Payroll tax of 5.45 per cent applies to businesses in NSW when their total wages in a financial year exceed $1.
2 million. Small GP clinics may avoid the tax, but many are already struggling. The New.