Media Release – 18 June 2012
Support for Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has come from an unusual source today – the politically conservative CEO of First National Real Estate, Mr Ray Ellis, who agrees with her call for the review of state based property taxes.
“It is a rare thing for me to say I agree with the Prime Minister, but I believe she has it entirely right when she says State Government based property taxes are standing in the way of economic growth in this country,” Mr Ellis said.
“As Australia’s largest independent real estate network, we do everything we can to help people with workforce and lifestyle driven mobility,” Mr Ellis says “but the State Governments are not doing anything to help – a fact we have been on the record as raising on numerous occasions over the last 12 to 18 months.”
Mr Ellis said research has shown that a lot of city dwellers would like to make a move to the country, but find the costs of selling and buying a home, including stamp duty, prohibitive.
“Last month, we were proud to sponsor the inaugural Regional Victoria Living Expo which promotes the attractions of regional centres and smaller townships throughout rural Victoria,” Mr Ellis said.
“At that event, the Victorian Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan released research that indicates 11 per cent of Melbourne’s metropolitan residents, around 450,000 people, are contemplating moving to regional Victoria in the next 3 years.
“The main thing standing in their way is the cost of buying and selling a home and stamp duty is a large part of that cost,” Mr Ellis said. “So, on the one hand State Governments want people to move within their State and the Federal Government needs them to be able to move between states, but the State Governments’ stamp duty is one of the major costs that is stopping that happening.”
Last year, stamp duty accounted for 37% of total property related taxes in Australia and Mr Ellis, believes the reliance of Governments on property taxes is standing in the way of Australia’s economic growth.
“We need to stop penalizing people who have saved enough money to buy a house or who are prepared to follow job opportunities interstate. Stamp duty is an anti-growth tax, and is a lazy way for governments to keep their budgets in check,” Mr Ellis said.
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Issued by: First National Real Estate
For further information contact:
Stewart Bunn, National Communications Manager, First National Real Estate, on
0413 624 317
Categories: Media Releases, Opinion
Tags: Australia, australian real estate blogs, first national real estate, Investment, Julia Gillard, Prime Minister, Ray Ellis, real estate, Stamp duty, State government, Tax, workforce mobility
Totally agree with the statement “Stamp duty is an anti-growth tax, and is a lazy way for governments to keep their budgets in check”. Let’s look at the current Tasmanian Labour/Greens government – rather than trying to stimulate the sluggish real estate and construction market, they have opted to increase Stamp Duty state for Property Purchases effective October 1 2012.
Totally agree with the statement “Stamp duty is an anti-growth tax, and is a lazy way for governments to keep their budgets in check”. Let’s look at the current Tasmanian Labour/Greens government – rather than trying to stimulate the sluggish real estate and construction market, they have opted to increase Stamp Duty for Property Purchases effective October 1 2012.