BLOG: Commentary

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...

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.

HIA: Negative Gearing barely costs economy

An interview on Lateline Business with Harley Dale (HIA) and Saul Eslake makes for interesting viewing on whether Negative Gearing will be grandfathered and quarantined to new housing only in the upcoming May budget. At about the 10 minute mark Harley Dale makes an...

The ABS values Australia’s assets

The latest report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on the world leading System of Environmental Economic Accounting was released yesterday. The ABS have taken a lead role in developing the system at the United Nations level over the last decade. Last year the UN...

An Economic Story for Artists

An Economic Story for Artists

by Pat Aller Arden, Delaware July, 1999 The Georgist Philosophy in Culture and History: How to Broaden Our Focus to Strengthen Our Message. We've been asking this question for over a century. The very fact that we are in Arden attests to George's influence on culture...

Inter-Generational Tax Inequity

Written by Leith van Onselen and cross posted from Macrobusiness. Business Spectator’s Rob Burgess wrote a great article over the weekend arguing how the current structure of Australia’s Budget risks generating a generation of tax slaves, as younger generations are...

AHURI is ‘Home Alone’

  In an extraordinary outburst, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has today embraced planning constraints on urban subdivision, elevating ‘developer certainty’ over the risk – heaven forbid! – of oversupply. I kid you not. “While it is almost...