The NSW state government has abolished stamp duty for new homes under
$800,000, in a bid to support first home buyers and the construction industry.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that the government will
temporarily axe stamp duty on newly built homes valued at under $800,000, from
1 August.
There will also be concessions available for new homes under $1
million in value (up from the previous limit of $800,00).
Previously, stamp duty applied to homes worth more than
$650,000.
According to media reports, the move is expected to support approximately 6,000 first home buyers while boosting construction and creating
jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis.
As well as increasing the stamp duty threshold for newly built homes,
the government will also raise the threshold for stamp duty on vacant land.
This will rise from $350,000 to $400,000 and will phase out at $500,000.
The temporary changes will only last for a period of 12
months and will only apply to newly-built homes and vacant land, not
to existing homes.
"Thousands of people will see their bank balances benefit from this
change - it will help get more keys into more front doors of more new
homes," Ms Berejiklian is reported to have said this morning.
"It will also boost housing construction across NSW and support
jobs in the building industry at a time when we need them more than ever
before."
NSW Treasurer Dom Perrotet tweeted this morning: "Stamp duty waived
or discounted for thousands across NSW. All told, new home buyers will be able
to save up to $31,000 as we keep the construction sector fired up and employing
people."
He later stated: "The current scheme has already helped over 93,000
first home buyers since July 2017 and this will give the construction industry
extra support as we face the challenges of COVID-19.
"We need to ensure our building sites keep ringing with hammers and saws
as that means more people working, and first home owners will save money in the
process.”
The NSW Government will also continue to offer a $10,000 First Home
Owner Grant, which is available to people buying a new first home worth no more
than $600,000, or buying land and building a new first home worth no more than
$750,000 in total.
This means the maximum amount of benefit a home owner could be entitled
to is $32,335 if purchasing a new home and accessing the grant.
The move compliments the intentions of the federal lHome Builder scheme that
providesa $25,000 grant to owner-occupiers "substantially renovating” or
building a new home between 4 June to 31 December 2020.
The federal government estimates that approximately 27,000 grants would be
handed out as part of the package across $10 billion in building projects,
supporting140,000 direct jobs and another 1,000,000 related jobs in the
residential construction sector.
NSW government land tax debate heats up
NSW government's stamp duty announcement comes hot on the heels
ofthe release of the state'sdraft Federal Financial Relations
Review.
The review, undertaken by an 'independent expert review panel' appointed
last year by NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, sets out a roadmap to realign
financial relations between the Commonwealth and the states.
The Supporting the road to recover draft report,
suggests that the state governments should be given more control over tax
decisions, warning that the benefits of federalism are being undermined in
Australia by duplication, bureaucracy and creeping centralisation, which it suggests has fostered "a learned financial dependency amongst the
states”.
The report, therefore, advocates changing Australia’s tax mix to give
states more control over their income, make taxes "as simple as
possible", and to limit the impact they have on citizens’ lives, such as
the decision about when to move house and whether to take out insurance.
Notably, this would include the replacement of stamp duties on property
transfers and insurance taxes, with a broad-based land tax (with an
"appropriate transition process that recognises the impact on property
owners").
According to the report, the 15 recommendations put forward would
have the effect of making state revenues more stable and sustainable and give
them more control over revenue-raising and spending on essential services such
as health and transport
The draft recommendations are open for consultation until 31 July,
with a final report expected to be delivered in September 2020.
Source
https://www.theadviser.com.au/breaking-news/
Jason Gwerder
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
