Overseas buyers of Melbourne real estate have had to pay a Foreign Purchaser Additional Duty since mid-2015. The tax raised $133 million last year, according to official figures released to The Age under Freedom of Information. The newspaper tried to suggest this tax is intended to peel money off outsiders, “a significant money-spinner for the […]
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Dear God, whose side are you on?
Meander Valley Council in Tasmania will sell a family’s home at public auction in three weeks unless they pay their overdue rates. This reluctant display of the authority of government illustrates the limits and strengths of land title in Australia. The Examiner explains: “The owners of Chudleigh’s Melita Honey Farm have less than three weeks […]
Read MoreIs the Queen a Georgist? 126th Henry George Dinner with Phil Anderson
Tuesday, September 5 from 6pm The Woolshed, Docklands Tickets via Eventbrite: $30 members; $50 non-members Join Prosper Australia at The Woolshed, Docklands for our annual gala dinner and address. Our speaker this year is Australian economist, businessman and internationally acclaimed commentator, Philip J Anderson. Phil is widely regarded as the foremost expert on business, real […]
Read MorePhilippines President: “I will tax you to death”
Rodrigo Duterte attacked mining companies in his State of the Nation address to the Philippine Congress over their abuse of the country he leads. His concerns are threefold: • Environmental degradation • The export of raw ores without processing • Miners’ failure to share the revenues of resource extraction The Philippines is the world’s largest […]
Read MoreGreens discover the housing, tax and wealth reality
The Greens have a new housing policy out. They begin with the high principle that all should have access to land then veer off with emotion at the tax rorts available to the wealthy. Everyone Needs A Home calls for an end to negative gearing, the Capital Gains Tax discount and proposes exchanging state-based Stamp […]
Read MoreWest Gate Tunnel: Critical Infrastructure or Game of Mates?
by Emily Sims One of the games in the Game of Mates is the Public-Private-Partnership. PPP projects such as Citylink in Melbourne and the Cross City Tunnel in Sydney are financed and built by private consortiums with high, ongoing returns guaranteed by the government. In terms of how we pay for infrastructure, PPPs are essentially […]
Read MoreMCA’s appeal to the dark side
West Australia should not raise mining royalties because GST revenues are distributed to human need, according to the Minerals Council of Australia. Their logic is as twisted as a snake in a maze: both state boundaries and orebody sites are accidents of geography, also known as luck. The MCA’s submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry […]
Read MoreAustralia: you’re being ripped off MERCILESSLY!
by Bryan Kavanagh “The more tuned out the general population, the more James can get away with his Game before voters notice.” A full house for the Melbourne book launch by co-author Dr Cameron Murray of the “Game of Mates: How Favours Bleed the Nation” at RMIT’s Francis Ormond Building on Friday. I’ll let people […]
Read MoreDecentralisation made easy
As Australian capital cities spill out into their hinterland, our regional cities and towns serviced by good infrastructure are failing worse than ever to attract their share of population growth. Politicians regularly breast-beat about the developmental imbalance, occasionally sending this or that centrally-located administrative department off to the regions in order to redress the lopsidedness […]
Read MoreA Radar for Common Sense
Our Renegade Economists radio show is celebrating its 500th show next week. Here are some recent highlights: The International Union for Land Value Taxation’s Alanna Hartzok discusses the political implications of a world unable to comprehend the onslaught of record land prices, immigration and inequality. UN developments alongside water rights are also analysed. Check the […]
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