WA govt won't budge on Uber compensation

A compensation payment for WA taxi plate owners affected by the planned legalisation of ride-sharing service Uber won't be increased from $20,000, the premier has strongly indicated.

The arrival of Uber in WA in 2014 has greatly disrupted the 2400-strong taxi industry, with customers able to order cars via mobile apps for far smaller fees.

"When an industry has been heavily regulated and protected, it is always difficult, not so much from a policy point of view but from an equity point of view, when you deregulate," Colin Barnett told a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday.

"But I don't think it's up to the taxpayer to assume all the potential losses of participants in a market, where for their own free will, people have chosen to go out and pay large amounts of money to other individuals for taxi plates.

"I don't think you'll ever make taxi plate owners satisfied - particularly if they've paid $200,000, $300,000 for their taxi plate - but I just make the observation they didn't pay the government that money: that was a taxi plate bought in the market off other private individuals."