Greens support land tax, call for more public housing

[Paul Sheridan]

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MEDIA RELEASE                                                              
       13 May 2004

Greens support land tax, call for more public housing 

The Greens today welcomed Treasurer Egan's decision to amend his land tax legislation so that rural land under Voluntary Conservation Agreements and nature conservation trusts will be exempted from land tax and vendor duty.

"Farmers already have this exemption, but the Treasurer had neglected landowners who are undertaking equally legitimate and very valuable conservation and heritage work on their land," Greens MP and treasury spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said.

"We congratulate Mr Egan for heeding The Greens' concerns on this issue. We now urge him to further improve his new taxes by making them more equitable and by spending more on public housing.

"The Greens support the concept of a land tax. It's a small tax on the wealth built up by property investors, who have made major gains as land values have risen.

"We have held extensive negotiations with the Government in a bid to make this tax fairer to those at the bottom end of the property investment spectrum and less generous to the wealthiest property investors," she said.

In negotiations with the Government, The Greens demanded:
·	Keeping the top marginal rate for land tax at 1.7%
·	Retaining the Premium Property Tax on the wealthiest landowners
·	A less restrictive hardship test for land tax, so that more self-funded retirees and low-income earners can defer their land tax payments
·	No vendor duty exemptions for developers if 'mum and dad' investors miss out
·	More of the proceeds to be spent on public housing and affordable housing

"The Treasurer refused to agree to our amendments, but promised to consider a fairer hardship test, allowing more low-income people the chance to defer their land tax payments," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The Greens did not support the political stunt that was the mini-Budget, nor do we support Treasurer Egan's obsessive desire to reduce debt at the expense of investing in infrastructure."


More information:  Hans van Leeuwen	9230 3551	0425 310 562





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