Farmers have been left frustrated upon learning of a hike in their fire service levy.
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This month's state budget saw an increase in the fire tax paid by Victorians by about $186 million over the next year.
The levy increase is set to hit farmers disproportionately with many facing an estimated $1000 increase on what they paid last year.
For farmers grappling with a late autumn break and high input costs, the charge was another blow.
Most pointed out that the extra levy was not being directed to regional areas with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) still left with outdated equipment.
The budget also delayed 83 per cent of existing CFA capital projects by one year and the authority was still waiting on the delivery of 28 of the 48 previously promised heavy tankers.
Raglan sheep farmer David Troup said the increased levy "screwed" farmers and wasn't coming at a great time.
"I think we're getting screwed and we're subsidising the fire service in the cities," he said.
Mr Troup said the CFA wasn't a priority for the government and only for him having his own on-farm tanker, February's bushfires would have caused a lot more damage.
He said the CFA was rightly focused on dwelling houses and sheds but farmers in the area needed their own equipment to fully protect their farms.
"You couldn't do without it," he said.
He said the regional communities wanted more on the ground investment for the CFA, rather than expensive big infrastructure such as the new multi-million communications hub in Ballarat.
Longwood sheep and cropping farmer and CFA volunteer John Brodie said the levy hike created a "high level of frustration" in his area.
"The frustrating thing isn't the increase, it's the fact that it's not going into rural Victoria," he said.
"It's funding the city fire brigade."
Mr Brodie said the lack of investment left the CFA's future uncertain and the government was taking the "really wrong" approach.
"It feels like we're being penalised for misuse of resources by Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) in Melbourne," he said.
"Why are we paying this if we're not getting anything back from it?
"The CFA does the best it can with the money it's given."
He said the levy increase was another hit to farmers already feeling financial pressure.
"Everyone around her has had to have their own [fire] equipment available," he said.
"There's dwindling volunteer numbers as well."
Limestone CFA captain Paul Stanley agreed with Mr Brodie's analysis and said the CFA was "slowly dying".
He could not get young people to come and join the brigade.
"They're not going to come and sit on the back of a 30 year old truck, even older than them," he said.
Mr Stanley said some bigger farmers he knew were now facing a 60pc increase in their fire service levy but none of the additional funds were being directed to the area.
"I've been constantly sending emails to [Emergency Services Minister] Jaclyn Symes," he said.
"All I get back is a load of political crap and political speak."
He said his brigade was left having to sit on the back of 30 year old machines in "extremely dangerous" conditions.
"There's no replacement on the horizon for these old trucks," he said.
Mr Stanley said the government was "just not spending money on the CFA" or investment in its future.
"Our budgets have been slashed and slashed and slashed," he said.
He warned there would be a repeat of the bad fire year of 2009 and when it did come, the under-resourced emergency services "won't be able to look after this state".
Nationals MP Annabelle Cleeland said the $1000 levy hike was "clearly targeting Victorian farmers".
"Regional property owners pay an unfair amount," she said, calling for greater transparency on where the increased tax was being used.
She said CFA volunteers in the north-east had the oldest vehicles in the state and it was getting to "crisis point".
"This is very, very dated equipment," she said.
"We don't have enough volunteers and equipment to fight fires in our local areas."
Ms Cleeland said the government was obsessed with making the FRV succeed, at the expense of the CFA.
