Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has called Labor's election policy costings a "con job from a party that can't manage money".
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But as he and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann tore into Labor's 30-page document during a media conference in Melbourne on Friday, you begin to wonder whether they have actually read it.
The coalition is sticking to its claim that Labor is introducing $387 billion of new taxes, a figure that has been hotly disputed by the opposition, calling it a number that was concocted in the treasurer's office.
If you look through the document, it is difficult to get to that figure, even if you believe removing or limiting tax concessions is a new "tax".
You could actually make it over $400 billion if you took that line, which includes a whopping $285.8 billion by not going ahead with the government's promised tax cuts for 2022/23 and 2024/25 or the "never-never tax cuts" as Labor calls them.
Labor says changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, ending cash refunds from franking credits and a range of other clampdowns on tax concessions total $154 billion over the next 10 years.
Senator Cormann said this report does not include $3 billion tax targeting multinationals, when it actually does have it - at a larger $6.87 billion.
The government says Labor is raising $57 billion from retirees through their franking credits measure, when the figure is actually $58.2 billion.
Conversely, it says changes to superannuation concession will raise $34 billion when Labor says it is $29.8 billion.
The government also says the costings do not include Labor's promise of increased foreign aid (it's on page 23), increased refugee intake (ditto) and health (page 21 and 27).
Perhaps the government will get its figures straight to hone their attack before it has its election campaign launch on Sunday.
Otherwise, you'll begin to wonder who is conning who.
Australian Associated Press
