Stamp duty and infill to top agenda for new WA President

WA President Tanya Trevisan has outlined her strategic vision for the Property Council for the next two years.

Stamp duty and urban infill will be top priorities as the Property Council adjusts its focus to the newly elected state government.

“We will continue to champion policy and tax reform that will enable the property industry to keep WA growing,” Ms Trevisan said.

She also said an urban infill target of 47 per cent of new homes to be built in existing suburbs was achievable.

“It’s important to provide a range of housing options for people to live 5km to 25km of the CBD.

“I am not saying we should have to stop producing land subdivisions with new homes, but we also need to be creating opportunities for apartment living,” she said.

The Property Council also supports the State Government’s mandate to align transport and planning policy and their proposal to create Infrastructure WA.

However, when it comes to stamp duty, WA should look to Victoria for guidance.

 “When you pay stamp duty off a plan in Melbourne you pay based on the land value, not on the unbuilt building,” she said.

Taxing buyers of off-the-plan homes on the land component would reduce the costs by an average of $8,000 in WA.

The Property Council will also continue to advocate for stamp duty reform to give retirees incentives to downsize, because this would encourage growth.