Taxation and finance
Current State and Federal property taxes are creating market distortions.
Current State and Federal property taxes are creating market distortions.
Housing affordability and housing mobility is impacted by State taxation policies that distort the use of land and buildings and the lack of innovative finance options to facilitate more social and affordable housing supply.
Commonwealth policies such capital gains tax concessions and negative gearing provide much greater benefits to existing owners and people who can afford to invest while leaving people living on low incomes locked out of home ownership and subject to the vagaries of the private rental market. These tax settings help to commodify housing as an investment vehicle, instead of promoting housing as a primary place of residence and home.
Social impact investing is an approach to financing and investing in projects which address social or environmental problems.
Research indicates that current Commonwealth taxation settings distort people’s housing decisions and contribute to the inefficient use of housing stock.
Research indicates that abolishing stamp duty and replacing it with a land tax across Australia would boost the Australian economy by about $17-20 billion per year.
The concept is to consolidate publicly owned assets (i.e. property, land, and infrastructure) in a common investment vehicle through government.