Firefighter no-show over SA levy hike

South Australian volunteer firefighters have refused to fight a blaze in protest against increases to the state's emergency services levy.

It emerged on Friday that two Country Fire Service volunteers had refused to attend a fire near Ceduna, on the state's west coast, earlier in the week.

The volunteers were protesting against the state government's removal of discounts from the emergency services levy in this year's budget.

Most CFS volunteers are farmers, who are among the worst affected by the ESL hike because they often own more than one property.

While the Ceduna blaze was attended by a stripped-back brigade, CFS Volunteers Association president Roger Flavell says there is broad discontent among volunteers.

"There's a lot of angst in the community," he told AAP.

"Country people are really upset that their ESL has gone up significantly, which I guess is a problem for all of us."

Farmers have discussed their concerns with Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis but Mr Flavell said it appeared unlikely the government would concede ground.

"I'm not holding my breath for anything too dramatic," he said.

The government has said the ESL hike was necessary to help recover more than $600 million in federal cuts to health spending.