Latest News & Commentary
Victoria spends on Road, Rail. Pity about the Stamps.
There is a better revenue base available to Victoria today: State Land Tax. Just remove its exemptions, thresholds and wheezes and consign Stamp Duty to the scrapheap. That SLT has deadweight losses of nil, so no wasted lives or people trapped in and out of housing.
Necessary Vic State Government housing policy improvements
A budget for the people by the people may well see some of the following policy reforms announced at tomorrow night's State budget: Reiterate Local Council financial independence The Labor Parties naivete in announcing a proposed cap on local council rates must be...
Commission of Auditing Rent Seekers
We were warned of the dangers of the wealthy advising on future budgetary levers. But we thought more of the BCA's Tony Shepherd than this shallow display for vested interests. With great fanfare we are to maintain the Australian way of life with the burden placed...
Lobbyocracy revealed in pursuit of NSW’s windfall gains
The unfolding ICAC investigation in NSW is set to reveal the tight network between property developers and the political process. Neil Chenoweth, lead investigative journalist at the Fin Review has written this extraordinary piece, outlining just how effective counsel...
Our Interrelated Property Cycles – easy ‘windfall’ gains – but, what’s the Consequence?
There’s only one reason we have devastating house price booms and busts – the pre marker to any recession and economic disaster, and that is speculation induced in this case, through the privatisation of unearned gains.
WA shows tax reform leadership. Well, I hope so.
WA Treasurer Mike Nathan has heard the call from REIWA President David Airey to end Stamp Duty and fund this by removing exemptions from State Land Tax
Housing: Investor support continues with Significant Investment Visas
Each day passes with policy enhancing the never ending Great Australian land bubble. Three of note include: the recent sale of $500m in Australian sub-prime loans by non-bank lender Pepper (AFR, paywalled), bundled together as Residential Mortgage Backed Securities....
REIWA: Abolish Stamp Duty for State Land Tax
Yesterday REIWA president David Airey issued a call in the West Australian newspaper for the WA government to abandon Stamp Duty and fund this by removing the many wheezes from the tattered State Land Tax. Hooray! Airey says: “It’s time to recognise that stamp duty...
Total Resource Rents Magazine
Thimk, Grattan Institute, Thimk!
If the Grattan thimkers wanted to reignite prosperity and national competitiveness, they would look at the cost of land – for Rural, Manufacturing and Services, for business and for workers alike. Inexpensive land de-risks all economic activity. We have been bloody fools to abandon this vital natural advantage to the ticket –clippers.
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