Thursday, 7 March 2024
Dear Editor,
Many Gippslanders will be suffering bill shock this month as the result of the Allan Labor Government’s land tax changes begins to hit mailboxes and hip pockets.
While my colleagues in The Nationals and I opposed the changes, the Allan Labor Government last year pushed through legislation that reduced the valuation threshold for land tax exemptions from $300k to just $50k.
Landowners can expect a new land tax bill of $500 for taxable landholdings valued between $50,000 and $100,000 and $975 for land between $100,000 and $300,000.
These new land taxes will simply be passed on to renters.
Keep in mind that Victorians already pay the highest taxes – $5074 per person – of any state in Australia, including the highest property taxes per capita in the nation at $2120.
In the midst of a rental crisis, the Allan Labor Government should be looking at ways to incentivise additional rental stock rather than driving people out of the market.