15 May 2013 MELBOURNE:- Yesterday’s federal budget highlights again Australia’s unbalanced reliance on wage and salary taxation for government revenues, says Prosper Australia. “Taxation discourages. That is why we tax gambling, alcohol and tobacco. Unfortunately, it...
BLOG: Commentary
Everyone KNOWS
Land prices are falling across Australia. Yet the politico-housing complex strains at every sinew to hide this from first home buyers and jolly them into making a life-long commitment at the very worst time in eighty years. Problem is, the buyers know. They...
The Victorian branch of the Australian Property Institute Plumbs New Depths
by Bryan Kavanagh AAPI Today’s Victorian API news demonstrates the Australian Property Institute is at risk of losing its way: “Property taxes shoulder Vic budget The Victorian government is becoming addicted to property taxes, which will raise over $6 billion in...
Victorian First Home Grants ‘A Cruel Hoax’
28 April 2013 MELBOURNE: - Victoria’s new Treasurer Michael O’Brien taunts first home buyers with a cruel hoax today, announcing grants for new build and targeted stamp duty concessions. He confirmed their role as a patsy for every property-based parasite in...
Bad taxes blight our land
Last week I offered a solution to the blight caused by vacant or disused sites in central Melbourne. Everyone is diminished by landowners leaving valuable land unused while they agitate for rezoning profits. The Age’s Bruce Guthrie hopped into the discussion...
Political Economy Discounted by Constituent Interests
As published in the Economic Society of Victoria's Ceteris Paribus. “You have to ask, if those being duped are too naive to complain, and those profiteering are too valuable to upset, is housing affordability a problem for our politicians, or a gift?” asks Tohm Whitty...
Should we charge Land for vagrancy?
The Melbourne City Council has been urged to apply differential rates “to sites defined as vacant or derelict” by its Future of Melbourne committee. They name to shame the Savoy Tavern on Spencer Street, the Argus building on Latrobe Street and bare land at 567...
Prosper’s New Office
We are proud to announce our new office is up and running. We have moved to 2/22 Punch Lane, Melbourne, located at the Spring St end of Little Bourke St. The Shark Fin Inn is on the corner of Punch Lane and Little Bourke St. Parliament Station is nearest for train....
Stamp Duty: Inefficient, Unreliable, Inequitable
Victoria’s new Treasurer Michael O’Brien has called for a discussion on ending Stamp Duty on property conveyances. Prosper welcomes this opportunity to consider the quality of Victoria’s tax bases and the costs they impose on citizens. Stamp Duty is a very bad...
Hot Speculative Money & Asia
Governments in China, Hong Kong and Singapore are acting to curb property speculation. Zero Hedge comments: The reason for this "hot money" phenomenon is the easy money policy adopted by all the world's central banks (except for the PBOC of course, which is forced to...