![Opposition finance spokesperson Jess Wilson MP, member for Western Victoria Joe McCracken and Regina Glass Fibre Tissue & Veil general manager Mark Pontil-Scala. Picture by Kate Healy Opposition finance spokesperson Jess Wilson MP, member for Western Victoria Joe McCracken and Regina Glass Fibre Tissue & Veil general manager Mark Pontil-Scala. Picture by Kate Healy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/173106531/6ef89515-818f-478a-b29a-b3011848876d.JPG/r0_0_3696_2456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Businesses are concerned tax changes and insurance premium increases from the state are holding back growth in Ballarat.
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Mitchell Park's Regina Glass Fibre general manager, Mark Pontil-Scala told The Courier he was surprised when he saw his new WorkCover insurance bill.
For nine staff, the bill increased by almost $20,000.
Mr Pontil-Scala said the increase would make it difficult to add more staff onto the roster.
The business began in Ballarat in 1963, and makes glass fibre tissue.
Glass is softened at the site and then stretched into thin threads of glass.
About five centimetres of glass can be turned into 14 kilometres of fibre.
This is turned into a fabric then used as one of the final steps in creating fibre glass products to ensure the surface is strong.
Mr Pontil-Scala said 80 per cent of their products were shipped overseas.
With costs of business increasing over the past few months, he said he had done everything he could to bring in-house prices down.
"Wherever we could save money I've done, I've been down that avenue, there's nothing else that we can do," Mr Pontil-Scala said.
"Any new expenses that come in, they have to be passed on."
The changes to WorkSafe insurance premiums were in May's Victorian budget.
The average insurance premium price increased from 1.2 per cent to 1.8 per cent.
Mr Pontil-Scala said the increase had been hard to swallow.
"It's just thrown upon you and you have to pay for it," he said.
"There has been no communication whatsoever with us to justify why it's gone up."
Meanwhile, the state opposition was working to develop its tax plan to take to the 2026 election.
Finance opposition spokesperson Jess Wilson said it was important for the party to bring solutions to the table well before the 2026 vote.
![Opposition finance spokesperson Jess Wilson MP. Picture by Kate Healy. Opposition finance spokesperson Jess Wilson MP. Picture by Kate Healy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/173106531/16385ba9-41f9-481c-97f9-c056c089c2a0.JPG/r0_0_4928_3280_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ballarat was Ms Wilson's first stop as the Liberal finance ministers took their tax discussion paper on tour, talking to residents and collecting feedback.
"We are looking to put forward a positive alternative as to what we would offer as an alternative government, what changes we would put in place," she said.
Ms Wilson said they acknowledged that tax was important to deliver services, but they also want to create an environment where businesses are interested in Victoria.
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"In our view, you can't tax your way out of a debt situation, because eventually people will just pull out of Victoria," she said.
"We want to grow the economy and actually see a bit of investment attracted to Victoria."
Businesses and residents are invited to share their feedback online.
The state government said the increase to the premiums is necessary to ensure the scheme can cover the cost of claims.
IT said the premium rate had not increased for more than 20 years.
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