Responsibility for Tasmanias housing crisis sits with the Liberals, yet they refuse to act. Instead, today Peter Gutwein has announced a trickle down style land tax cut forthose Tasmanians who are lucky enough to have a second, third or fourth property.
All the whilerentscontinue to soar and Tasmanians are forced to move interstate, just to keep a roof over their heads.
In a monumental,but wholly transparent "look over there", Premier Gutwein has handed alandtax cut towell off property investors.Yet another stuntfroma Liberal Government devoid of any meaningfulplanto curbthecost of living, or address the housing crisis in Tasmania.
Todays land tax announcement wonthelp to lower rents, as the government falsely claims.It will simply widen theclass dividebetween thehaves and have-nots thosewhoown their home, along with an investment portfolio,and thosewhospend half their weeklyincomeor moreon shelter.
Handing out a Land Tax cutwont decrease rents. Itwill only encourage investors toincreasetheir portfolio.
This will be the second round of land tax cuts implemented by the Liberals in the short time since the 2021 election. Peter Gutwein claims this will further decrease rents, what world is he living in? Rents have not gone down, they have gone up, since the Liberals last round of land tax cuts. This is a fact.
What is needed isregulation of short stay accommodation and rent controls - both moved by the Greens and blocked by the old parties in Parliament - along withbuilding more social and affordable housing.
On the eve of Parliaments resuming and with Covid rampant in our schools,the GutweinGovernment is in disarray. Itslosttwo Ministers in just two weeks.Peter Gutwein is clearly making policy on the run to distract from his internal chaos.
This kind of policy making wont house the homeless, and it wont even distract from wheels falling off Peter Gutweins Cabinet. In the midst of a housing crisis,Tasmania deserves better.
Read more:
Gutwein's Land Tax Cut for Propertied Class Leaves Battlers in the Cold - Tasmanian Greens MPs
