Yeah, that's just GST but still fairly sizable. However to compare to Spain or the USA we'd need to be looking at all revenue and spending, not just the sales tax redistribution.
On the collection side there's income tax and corporate tax as contributors to general revenue, I bet Western Australians pay a lot more of that on a per capita basis than some states. And then that revenue goes to aged pensions, to unemployment and other welfare and to health. Those will also be unevenly concentrated around the country, and probably less concentrated in WA. If I were a Western Australian secessionist looking to construct a whinge about how much we lose, I could do a lot better than just looking at GST.
On the collection side there's income tax and corporate tax as contributors to general revenue, I bet Western Australians pay a lot more of that on a per capita basis than some states. And then that revenue goes to aged pensions, to unemployment and other welfare and to health. Those will also be unevenly concentrated around the country, and probably less concentrated in WA. If I were a Western Australian secessionist looking to construct a whinge about how much we lose, I could do a lot better than just looking at GST.