State Budget hikes blow out living costs with electricty bills set to rise 20 per cent QUEENSLAND households will be forced to find up to $600 extra a year to cover living expenses as the State Government scrambles to finalise its budget. QUEENSLAND households will be forced to find up to $600 extra a year to cover living expenses as the State Government scrambles to finalise its Budget. A major surge in electricity bills is set to cause the most hip pocket pain along with increases in car and home insurance, public transport fares, water bills and the fire levy. Queenslanders will know on Friday how much power bills will rise from July 1, but expectations are for a 20 per cent increase, adding an extra $350 a year on an average bill for a family of four. The Government has said a $6 billion revenue shortfall has forced it to ditch cost-of-living relief and shelve payroll tax breaks for small business in next Tuesday's State Budget. Flegg whistleblower could face criminal charges Treasurer Tim Nicholls has denied the increased charges amounted to a broken election promise, pointing to measures delivered last year including a freeze on family car registration and a one-off $80 water rebate. Power firm to face watchdog over extra charges He said an electricity rebate announced by Premier Campbell Newman in February would have cost an unaffordable $600 million. Such a rebate was never "enshrined" in the LNP's plans to reduce cost-of-living pressures, Mr Nicholls said. Queensland Council of Social Service director Mark Henley said the Government needed to consider a suite of concessions to help struggling low income earners. "Our message to government is they need to look at a whole-of-government concessions framework for people who will not be able to afford these increases," he said. We already know the cost-of-living pressures are significant for a number of people and when 12.5 per cent of the population in Queensland are considered to be living in poverty . . . having a concessions framework to support people on the lowest level of income is critically important. Among the raft of increases is a hike in insurance duties which delivered the State Government an extra $178 million in the past two years. The Insurance Council of Australia yesterday said the Government's planned hike in duties would "exacerbate the financial pressure many Queenslanders were experiencing." While home and contents insurance will rise about $25, car insurance will jump another $28 after an almost doubling of the stamp duty from 5 per cent to 9 per cent. "This is another hit to the wallets of motorists in Queensland which is already the most expensive state in the country to own a car," said Paul Turner from peak motoring body RACQ. Next Tuesday's State Budget will also include an $11 increase to the fire levy - renamed the emergency management, fire and rescue levy and expanded to cover an extra 400,000 properties. Water bills will leap about $80 for the average Brisbane resident with a $160 rise for residents of Logan, south of Brisbane. The state will pocket an extra $49 from a rise in bulk water charges. Public transport fares are also set to rise 7.5 per cent from January, adding $131 to the annual bill for a commuter travelling to work across two zones each day. Transport Minister Scott Emerson is trying to find savings within the network to reduce the increase. A final decision on the power price rise will be released on Friday.