A billboard from the NSW Business Chamber has been removed for offending the public.

The billboard read, “Welcome to Queensland” followed by “Subsidised by the taxpayers of NSW”, viewable below. Displayed at the Brisbane Airport, the ban comes from the airport rather than a government body. It has also been taken up by the Gold Coast Airport.

The billboard aimed to highlight what the Chamber considered an unfair distribution of GST. The newly proposed formula suggestion being presented to federal treasurer, Wayne Swan, would cost NSW $2 billion over the next three years.

“The silence of the Prime Minister and Federal Treasurer on this issue is deafening. Most of the $2 billion in cuts will occur after the next NSW State Election and we can only guess why the Federal Government is sitting on its hands on this issue,” said Stephen Cartwright, CEO of NSW Business Chamber

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally was to unveil the billboard on February 1.

“The fact is Queensland has lower taxes than NSW and has consistently grown faster than NSW. However, under the proposal of the Commonwealth grants Commission, NSW will subsidise Queensland indefinitely,” said Cartwright. “The Grants Commission has created a reverse ‘Robin Hood’ – robbing NSW to pay the resource-rich state of Queensland.”