Right now land prices need to be stabilised, but wages and inflation need to accelerate so our debts don’t drag the economy into recession. Ideally land prices would stay constant, and wages would grow faster so the price of land in real terms (after inflation) falls. This is easier said than done… After the Federal […]
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The Monthly Discussion – Gate crashing the Fabians
What: Housing and Homelessness – The Fabians Where: Melbourne Multicultural Hub – Green Room | 506 Elizabeth St. Melbourne When: Wednesday, June 26 Time: 6pm Cost: Free – RSVP here The Australian Fabians are running an interactive event on “Housing and Homelessness” that coincides with the time we normally run our own discussion night. So we […]
Read MoreGhost towers a sign of supply success?
The ninth Speculative Vacancies report continues to make waves with a live cross yesterday on Sydney’s ghost towers (ABC TV 24) and a further interview on Sydney’s ABC 7pm News bulletin. This followed on from the ABC online story – Sydney hit by Ghost tower phenomenon. Prosper continues to ask if supply-side solutions are the […]
Read MoreFreedom from the commercial vacancy straitjacket
For over a decade we have reported on concerns over commercial vacancies in our Speculative Vacancies report. This is the first time we have been interviewed on this aspect of vacancy. Our latest such report found a 9.1% commercial vacancy rate throughout greater Melbourne during a period when yet again the media were gasping about […]
Read MoreAristocracy, Land and Dove
Geoists in History Patrick Edward Dove (1815-1873) by Karl Williams “So long as the aristocracy have all the land, and derive the rent of it, the labourer is only a serf, and a serf he will remain until he has uprooted the rights of private landed property. The land is for the nation, and not […]
Read MoreVictorian Budget Perspectives
Taken from our fortnightly Evolving Economics enews.Subscribe here Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has delivered a great set of budget measures which will improve the resilience, fairness and efficiency of Victoria’s tax system. This budget features a number of changes Prosper has advocated for years. Now that the Victoria is facing a stamp duty decimation, savvy […]
Read MorePallas backhands ‘Tennis Court Exemption’ as Vic’s finances shrink away
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has pre-announced Land Tax changes ahead of Monday night’s state budget. Expect a dramatic budget contraction as Victoria’s key ‘own revenue’ source, Stamp Duty, has shrunk with the fall in both property transaction volumes and prices. “The government says stamp duty revenue will collapse by an average of $1.3 billion a […]
Read MoreRicardo’s Classical Political Economy
Geoists in History David Ricardo (1772-1823) by Karl Williams “The interest of the landlord is always opposed to the interests of every other class in the community.” The father of classical political economy, David Ricardo, was more than a theoretical economist for his economics armed the reformers attacking the agricultural aristocracy’s obscene economic privileges. While […]
Read More2019 Federal election policy comparison
The 2019 Federal Election is only a few days away… But how can you maximise your vote to shift the tax system away from unproductive rent seeking? Which parties have the best policies to deter land speculation, and reduce wealth inequality from inflated land prices? Prosper has produced a brief policy scorecard for parties with […]
Read MoreThe Monthly Discussion in May – Who Owns Outer Space?
What: Discuss + Debate + Drinks + Pizza When: Wednesday, May 29 Time: 6pm Cost: Free “The Earth is the cradle of humanity but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever” -Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Private companies are actively promoting plans to mine in Outer Space, and for the first time, these are seeming not far-fetched, but probable. Thus, […]
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