Victorians have pushed back hard on Labor’s proposed tax for new home buyers, the 41st tax that Daniel Andrews has introduced or raised.
The outcry from Victorians has forced the government to re-consider introducing this legislation to Parliament, yet the government has given no explanation why the accompanying planning reforms should be scrapped.
When announcing this policy last week, Planning Minister Richard Wynne, stated:
“These sensible reforms will make life easier for home-owners, doing away with out-of-date and time-consuming processes for minor projects that frustrate people wanting to build a shed of extend a veranda.”
It seems that if Labor can’t tax you, they are content to make life harder for home-owners, while keeping out-of-date and time-consuming processes for minor projects and continue to frustrate people wanting to build a shed of extend a veranda.
The Red Tape Commissioner handed down her recommendations for planning reform last year, with the government committing to accept all of them. Industry was told that this Bill would implement these recommendations.
Daniel Andrews himself admitted that there were billions of dollars tied up in inefficiencies in the planning process.
Andrews now has a choice – introduce legislation to unblock a glacial planning process without a cruel tax on homebuyers or spit the dummy and accept these massive inefficiencies.
Ryan Smith MP
Shadow Minister for Housing