Regarding the recent ACT Liberal Party scare campaign against rates, Dr Terry Dwyer writes: Being fundamentally disinterested in political games but keenly interested in policy and good government (which, judging from Mr Slipper’s emails, sadly does not always seem to...
BLOG: ACT
Land price too high
From the Canberra Times 5 April 2012. Your article “Capital’s housing prices highest in the country” (April 3, p1) was missing one very important word – land. As we move toward Canberra’s centenary celebrations it is time to reflect on the great wedge that is driving...
Australia deserves better property sales data
12 January 2012 Prosper calls for timely, rigorous and transparent statistics on property sales to be collected by the ABS. “Property is the single largest asset market in Australia – worth around $5 Trillion,” Prosper Australia Campaign Manager David Collyer said...
Change or suffer
Australian land prices are falling. They will continue to fall until their fundamental economic link to incomes and rents are fully restored. Many with large mortgages will be crushed by these towering liabilities when their equity is erased. This claim is bitterly...
No Reform – Paradise Postponed
photo credit: Steve - wants a job at Chester ZooMELBOURNE and CANBERRA:- Australians had high hopes the Tax Forum would herald the end of taxes that distort and diminish economic activity as Ken Henry recommended. Sadly, these hopes have been dashed, says Prosper...
Un-Taxed Privilege
photo credit: rubenerd29 September 2011 MELBOURNE:- Vested interests are determined to stifle reform of the government revenue base at the Tax Forum next week, says Prosper Australia. “The government has lined up industry representatives and lobby peaks – all to plead...
Australia’s fatal flaw: Negative Gearing
“You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” - Warren Buffett, Chairman's letter 2001. Negatively geared property investors are exposing themselves, the banks and every Australian citizen to capital destruction, a highly infectious disease that...
Grand Sale! Grand Sale! Grand Sale!
The Australian Government is about to sell real estate worth billions. It is a matter of critical economic importance that they get it right. Up for sale is radio spectrum for mobile phones and data signals for the next fifteen years. This is real estate as rare and...
Walter Burley Griffin and Canberra’s early history
Dr David Headon has put together a revealing document entitled 'Those Other Americans' to celebrate Canberra's early history and their upcoming 2013 centennial. This is a superb introductory document to Georgism (and Australia's early history), with many references to...
Aussie miners: no one likes a whiney child.
photo credit: loungerie The Henry Tax Review recommended a resource rent tax to the Australian government, carefully designed to maintain incentives and reward risk. The miners responded with apoplexy and a campaign of deliberate misinformation that has left the...