The Victorian Treasurer yesterday dismissed belly-aching by holders of valuable parcels whose private joy over the strong rises in land prices comes with a sting – their State Land Tax went up too. ‘‘The government is not considering reducing land tax rates in...
BLOG: Commentary
Exposed: Scomo’s ‘fix’ on housing costs a sop to Libs’ Big Developer donors
by Warwick Smith Warwick Smith smells a rat in Scomo's sudden solution to housing affordability – planning reform – coming just ten days after developers' call for same. SCOTT MORRISON has suddenly announced that he cares about housing affordability. This is...
NSW Premier Baird passes the Elixir bottle without taking a swig
NSW Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet floated the idea of exchanging Stamp Duty for State Land Tax in The Australian yesterday. We warmly welcomed his initiative and explained some of the big benefits this offered NSW. By 5.30pm yesterday, Philip Coorey had the...
Will Mike Baird seize the first-mover advantage for NSW – and drink all of the Premiers’ Elixir?
A prize awaits the first state Premier with the political capital and farsightedness to exchange Stamp Duty for State Land Tax. The move would be a magnet for economic activity. As economists repeat ad nauseum, it is all on the margin. Fresh investment – the Premiers’...
The Tax Men from Mars landed in ACT – and were asked to stay
Saturday's Australian Financial Review always needs a nice read and today it is the ACT government's progressive removal of Stamp Duty that increased council rates on a million dollar property from $2200 a few years ago to $3000. What a terrible thing to do! Mather,...
Prosper’s Survey asks aspiring Councillors to rate land not buildings
In its campaign to rid Australia of bad taxes, Prosper Australia surveyed Victorian municipal council candidates and asked their opinion on the rates issue. We explained the difference between Capital Improved Value (CIV) and Site Value (SV) and the economic arguments...
Andrews government funds Futbul – not people in need
The Australian Football League has bought the Docklands Stadium freehold asset that cost $460m to build in 2000 from the Andrews ALP Victorian government for $200m - allegedly to assist “tenant clubs struggling under onerous deals to play at the roofed venue.” In nine...
Clouding Clear Title – The NSW Land Registry Sell-Off
The NSW Liberal-National Coalition government has just passed new laws to sell the state’s Land Registry to private interests. Prosper is bitterly opposed to this sale and has spoken out against it repeatedly. This is a core government function: “Each state and...
Gold Coast light rail study helps put a figure on value capture’s funding potential
by Dr Cameron Murray cross-posted from The Conversation Value capture actually can work when it comes to funding new transport infrastructure. My research on the Gold Coast light rail provides the figures to demonstrate the size of the gains to nearby land values,...
Prosper urges the Local Government Review to mandate Site Value
Victoria is reviewing its Local Government Act 1989. The original Act is now subject to over 90 amending acts, so the Review is timely and necessary. Buried among the good ideas to improve local government is a very bad one, obliging all councils to use Capital...