by David Collyer | Jul 25, 2019 | Commentary
South Australia is reforming Land Tax laws so holders are assessed on their aggregate land holdings by looking through corporate structures some have created to minimise their liabilities. The SA reforms mirror and are based on existing laws in Victoria and NSW. This...
by David Collyer | May 27, 2019 | Articles, Commentary
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....
by David Collyer | Feb 27, 2019 | Commentary
The IMF has added its voice to the calls for Australia to reform how we tax ourselves to be more productive, fairer and better placed to manage the headwinds ahead. Its annual consultation report with the Australian government says: “Stamp duties should be...
by David Collyer | Aug 17, 2017 | Commentary
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...
by David Collyer | Aug 15, 2017 | Commentary
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...
by David Collyer | Jul 31, 2017 | Commentary
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...
by David Collyer | Jul 29, 2017 | Commentary
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...
by David Collyer | Jul 19, 2017 | Commentary
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,...
by David Collyer | Jul 10, 2017 | Commentary
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...
by David Collyer | Jul 4, 2017 | Commentary
The Andrews government intends to sell Victoria’s land titles registry to private interests for an expected $2 billion – a mere detail in the May budget. This is no ordinary asset sell-off: land is the single largest asset class in Australia and the central public...
