The man representing Tasmania agriculture has warned that some farmers unhappy with proposed reforms to fire service funding could stop volunteering as emergency responders in protest.
President of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers' Association Ian Sauer said the proposed reforms will result in farmers and rural residents paying average increases of about 400 per cent.
"The farming community out there are quite furious," he said.
"On this issue I'm getting phone calls one or two a week, where there are farmers who are also volunteers are saying 'well if this tax goes through, we're not going to be a member of the volunteer brigade - full stop,'" Mr Sauer said.
Campbell Town wool farmer John Atkinson said he knew of some volunteer firefighter farmers that would see their contributions increase from $4000 annually to $28,000.
"If they're taxed at that huge amount, then they'll expect service rather than providing it in kind," Mr Atkinson said.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the heads of the main business lobby groups called for the government to go "back to the drawing board".
Rebecca Ellston, Tasmanian director of the Property Council of Australia, said the business advocacy groups agreed the two funding models proposed must be scrapped.
"Both models put forward under the Tasmanian government's proposed Fire Rax are unfair, out of touch and just plain wrong," she said.
Fire and flood responders are currently funded through three separate levies charged on properties, commercial insurance policies and motor vehicles.
The government's proposed new system would abolish the insurance component and raise more funds from properties via council fire levies.
The lobby groups have said both of the property-based fire levy options under consideration would place an unacceptable burden on farmers and businesses, and could devastate industry.
According to Ms Ellston, the proposed funding models could lift household fire levy contributions by 300 per cent, businesses by up to 800 per cent and farmers as much as 1000 per cent.
Police and Emergency Management Minister Felix Ellis last week agreed to meet concerned stakeholders at a roundtable discussion on Wednesday.
Following the meeting, he said the discussions were "positive and constructive", with alternative models and ideas proposed.
The government is accepting submissions about the draft reforms through to 1 December.
Robert Mallett, executive officer of the Tasmanian Small Business Council, said the peak bodies hoped Mr Ellis was serious in his pledge to listen to feedback.
"The way the models have been worked out so far, there are big losers in this and not many winners," he said.
"It's about time the minister took it back, spent Christmas getting these models right, doing his sums and then coming back to us with a realistic proposal as to how this might be funded."
Mr Sauer said the government should consider funding fire services with some funding from existing levies and the rest from consolidated revenue.
He said it was "extraordinary" that the government had not recognised the contribution that farmers and the rural community make in fighting fires.
"We're the ones that leave the tractors and irrigators and pay our employees to go and jump on an SES vehicle or the local fire brigade ... it's those people that actually go and fight the fires," he said.
"They give their time voluntarily, they do all the training, they miss out on family functions to fight fires and be involved.
"And then those same people are going to be taxed, in some cases where they might be paying hundreds of dollars or thousands more"
