WA payroll tax threshold to be raised THE threshold at which payroll tax must be paid by West Australian businesses will be raised by $100,000 if the Liberals retain power. Treasurer Troy Buswell told a business forum with opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt on Tuesday that the threshold would be lifted to $850,000, up from $750,000 currently. The pledge comes a day after WA Labor ruled out payroll tax reform, drawing the ire of the state's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which described the decision as hugely disappointing. Small business lobby groups have pushed for the threshold to be doubled to $1.5 million, arguing that payroll tax is a sizeable impost that prevents them from hiring more staff. WA has become increasingly reliant on payroll tax as its share of GST diminishes.