The IMF has added its voice to the calls for Australia to reform how we tax ourselves to be more productive, fairer and better placed to manage the headwinds ahead. Its annual consultation report with the Australian government says: “Stamp duties should be replaced by broader land taxes, which would strengthen incentives for efficient […]
By Catherine Cashmore The proposal to cut the company tax rate from 30% to 25% has received much media attention. We are repeatedly told it is needed to boost investment. The rational follows that companies are more likely to invest in productivity if they don’t have to pay as much tax on their gross income. It […]
The Northern Territory Government’s Revenue Discussion paper submissions have come to a close. Prosper’s Submission focuses on supporting the NT Government in shifting towards a broad based Land Value Tax and further improving existing Royalty arrangements. The submission is briefly summarised below. Facilitate the shift from Stamp Duty to Land Tax Stamp duties The NT […]
The debate over tax policy in Australia has reached fairly mediocre levels. The best the Federal Government can muster is a company tax cut, which they intend to by stealth replace with income tax via bracket creep. Meanwhile the natural bounty of land is ever increasing in price via debt leveraging and population growth, worsening […]
The Productivity Commission’s recent five year review, “Shifting the Dial”, brings the welcome recommendation of a shift from stamp duties to a broad-based land tax. Stamp duty is a dud tax from the economist’s point of view; it doesn’t achieve an obvious redistribution goal and is a disincentive to downsizers. Land value taxes by contrast, […]
Amid recent GST distribution cuts of $400m p.a. (about 12% of revenue) and a flagging property market, the Northern Territory Government is facing severe fiscal challenges. The NT is the most stamp duty reliant government in the federation, and has been hard hit an inevitable correction in its housing market. Annual dwelling (predominantly land) prices […]
Toorak has been in the news – only 5 properties are currently publicly advertised for sale in the exclusive suburb, ensuring scarcity delivers daunting prices. The Domain wrote in glowing terms about a $7m profit on a tennis court held over 20 years. It is not uncommon for Toorak residents to own an adjacent property […]
The Greens have a new housing policy out. They begin with the high principle that all should have access to land then veer off with emotion at the tax rorts available to the wealthy. Everyone Needs A Home calls for an end to negative gearing, the Capital Gains Tax discount and proposes exchanging state-based Stamp […]
Economist Peter Abelson has dropped a bomb on Sydney’s madly expensive land market, asserting the usual demand and supply equations have little influence on prices while major positive benefits are available from ending Stamp Duty and using land tax. His views only came to light after journalist Adam Creighton used FOI to prise his report […]
In March last year, the NSW Supreme Court set aside the NSW Office of State Revenue’s assessment for land tax in 2009-13 on certain lands at Terranora in the Tweed Valley held by Metricon. The developer bought the $60m aggregation to subdivide for residential use. It side-stepped a land tax liability of around $1.2m per […]
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