2018-19 WA Pre-Budget Submission

Home Campaigns and Submissions 2018-19 WA Pre-Budget Submission

2018-19 WA Property Council Pre-Budget Submission

The Property Council is calling on the WA Government to use the upcoming State Budget to encourage the emerging recovery in the property and construction sectors, and return WA to high rates of growth in jobs and population.

We have identified nine strategic initiatives for the 2018-19 State Budget, including:

1. Encourage the recovery in WA property and construction sectors and job creation, by ruling out increases to state property taxes or introducing new taxes.

2. Not to raise the Perth Parking Levy as it is a highly inequitable tax that negatively impacts businesses in the CBD that are struggling with high office vacancies and low retail trade.

3. Incentivise more infill housing in major urban areas and around key urban projects like METRONET, by providing a stamp duty exemption relating to the land component in off-the-plan residential dwelling purchases prior to construction completion.

4. Introduce a stamp duty concession for eligible seniors that are downsizing their housing needs to a newly built residence under $5,000.

5. Apply a suite of land tax reforms, including:

  • Reduce the top marginal rate of land tax to be more competitive with other states and phase out aggregation by moving to a flatter land tax structure with fewer tax thresholds;
  • Capping annual increases in land tax assessments;
  • Broaden the land tax base through a reassessment of minimum tax thresholds and a review of entities (excluding owner occupier housing) that escape the land tax net; and
  • Extend the land tax exemption for retirement villages to include land on which a village is being constructed.

6. Step up the state asset recycling program, including the sale of WA's land titles registry to reduce state debt and to fund state infrastructure projects.

7. Encourage more public-private partnerships for infrastructure delivery.

8. Commit to the establishment of a City Deal partnership in WA to fund infrastructure; and

9. Defer the introduction of the foreign owner stamp duty surcharge and exclude from the surcharge investment in housing developments of 10 or more properties.  

These initiatives will help deliver a robust economic strategy through the State Budget which will ensure we consistently improve WA's liveability, prosperity, and affordability.