On 16 October 2018, the Minister for Finance, the Hon Ben Wyatt MLA, replied:

(1) The Office of State Revenue is unable to provide a breakdown of payroll tax received based on employment by geographical location with any level of accuracy, as data is not collected to that level of detail.

Furthermore, it is not possible to derive an accurate geographical breakdown of sources of payroll tax by location of employment based on the location of the taxpayers’ business addresses, as there are employers who operate across multiple regions within Western Australia.

(2)-(4) Section 114(2) of the Taxation Administration Act 2003 prevents the Commissioner of State Revenue from disclosing taxpayer information that could reasonably be expected to lead to the identification of any person to whom it relates.

(5)-(6) Employers are not required to provide the Commissioner of State Revenue with the number of employees who are employed by their business.