Latest News & Commentary
Who Owns the Earth?
As published on Aeon, this gives a solid grounding in the overall philosophy of our equal right to the value of the earth. The best article I have read this year. by Antonia Malchik My mother likes to say she was born out of the back of a ’39 Ford. She wasn’t,...
Speculation defeating productivity
Forthcoming elections have divided the USA, the UK and Australia over much the same issue: the big end of town versus people expressing concern at their isolation from the political process. The sins of Wall Street in capturing unearned incomes via inflated mortgages...
Does your SMSF have a goat?
Those with a Self Managed Superannuation Fund who hold englobo land in Victoria will need a fresh accessory after the state budget: a goat to eat weeds. Treasurer Tim Pallas has kindly extended the englobo wheeze that deems unimproved land within urban growth...
Vic land tax: Politics I Economics III, Politics wins
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas will deliver the state’s 2016 Budget in a few minutes. Surpluses totalling $9.2 million over the next four years are pre-announced, as is the foreign property buyers’ Stamp Duty surcharge of 7 per cent and the State Land Tax surcharge of...
Kiwis look at Land Tax on foreigners
Following the move by the Victorian government to increase taxes on foreign investors in real estate, the New Zealand government is considering it. We do note this type of piecemeal reform arouses concern at its discriminatory nature, distilling the people's...
Victoria puts its citizens first – a welcome change
The Andrews government will double the foreign property buyers' Stamp Duty surcharge and triple the State Land Tax surcharge in the forthcoming Victorian budget – evidence they well understand the damage rent-seeking creates and how to change behavior. Our very bad...
Warning to borrowers – ASIC protecting the control fraudsters
by Lindsay David reposted from Australia - Boom to Bust ASIC has the backbone of a chicken wing when it comes to enforcing the rule of law; this is widely recognised in Australia and resulted in a...
Cheap housing is good for business!
by Dr Gavin Putland reposted from grputland.com If you want to expand your business, you probably need to hire people. But you can't hire them unless they can afford to pay for housing within commuting distance of your business premises, out of wages that you can...
Launch reform
The move towards Land Tax reform continues with two supportive papers out in the last few days. Launch Housing has a proposal to fund domestic violence programs out of a vacant housing tax. This was inspired by recommendations from the Royal Commission into Domestic...
Challenging the banks
The Bernie Sanders-Hillary Clinton contest in the debates for Democratic Party presidential nominee is paring back to whether Main Street should challenge the Big End of Town. Sanders has questioned Clinton's judgment at least, in accepting $225,000 to speak...
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