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’...
BLOG: land tax
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,...
The First Interval – Evaluating ACT’s Land Value Tax Transition
; The First Interval – Evaluating ACT’s Land Value Tax Transition By Dr Cameron Murray Prosper Australia commissioned Dr Murray to examine the early benefits of ACT’s 20 year process replacing conveyancing stamp duty with land tax. He will present his calculations and...
Land prices are not simply a matter of supply and demand
by Bryan Kavanagh Reposted from On-Line Opinion Fortunately, the theory of real estate valuation is not as difficult to comprehend as the theory of value, over which economists continue to fight endlessly. Real estate valuation concerns the assessment of particular...
Rail crossing removal makes me cross – do it properly!
The next rail crossing to be removed by the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Authority is at Grange Road, Alphington. It is asking locals whether they would prefer a sky bridge over or a concrete trench under. The good residents of Alphington are being...
Stamp Duty slugs families $91 a month
The Housing Industry Association today released their estimate that conveyancing Stamp Duty costs Australian households $91 a month. “By eroding deposits and making homebuyers borrow more, stamp duty is estimated to add $91 per month to household mortgage repayments...
SMH gets thoroughly modern and calls for a land tax
The Sydney Morning Herald thundered about NSW government finances in a May 25 editorial: $17 b a year hole in NSW future finances. This is mostly the usual stern conservative stuff we have learned to expect from Fairfax. But it does close on an upbeat note: “The...
REINSW: as trustworthy as the agents they represent
The Real Estate Institute of New South Wales calls for conveyancing Stamp Duty discounts for first home buyers and “property consumers over 65 years of age” in its submission to the NSW government‘s June 2016 budget. They say: “The ultimate goal must be to abolish...
“Land is the key to ending bad taxes” with Dr. Terry Dwyer
When: Thursday 26 May at 6:30pm Where: Level 1, 64 Harcourt St North Melbourne Presenter: Dr. Terry Dwyer Tax reform is hard yet the benefits are great. Australia can no longer afford to delay structural reforms. The Panama papers controversy highlights the need for...
Bad taxes are destroying our jobs and enterprises – here’s proof
World-class fertiliser producer Incitec Pivot Ltd has painfully written $105m off its Gibson Island plant in Brisbane – squeezed by high gas costs, low Urea prices and bad taxes – just as it enters a major 'shut' to refurbish this key national industrial asset....