Peter Gleeson: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk must stop Treasurer Cameron Dick’s rent tax
Cameron Dick promised no new taxes, but is now like arunaway train. The Premier must put a stop to it, starting with the ludicrous rent tax, writes Peter Gleeson. VOTE IN OUR POLL
Peter Gleeson
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Today’s Palaszczuk Government announcement that homeowners will be encouraged to rent granny flats to help ease the housing crisis is positive and it shows Deputy Premier Steven Miles is serious about the issue.
But it’s time Mr Miles and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk pulled aside their errant Treasurer Cameron Dick and gave him a good old-fashioned upper cut.
The biggest single barrier to easing the rental crisis in Queensland is this hare-brained decision to tax people who have properties in Queensland, and also own land in other states.
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The rent tax is the ticking time bomb that is sitting there ready to explode.
It is poor and ill-conceived public policy that will have a devastating impact on rents when introduced on July 1 next year.
Economists say land owners will have little choice but to increase rent on their properties as they are slugged thousands of dollars extra in Queensland property taxes.
Today’s announcement on granny flats comes after the Courier Mail roundtable and it aims to remove restrictions on people who can live in secondary dwellings.
“Many homeowners have granny flats that they’ve built or converted for family members or teenagers who have since moved out,” Mr Miles said.
“Right now, most homeowners can’t rent secondary dwellings, such as granny flats, to anyone other than their immediate family.
“At the same time some Queenslanders are sleeping in their cars or in tents.
“It just makes sense to allow existing accommodation to be occupied by someone other than a relative to provide more affordable accommodation for Queenslanders.
“It also allows homeowners to earn rent, helping them meet the increased cost of living.’’
Mr Miles should be applauded for thinking outside the square and freeing up granny flats.
But it’s just one piece in the bigger jigsaw puzzle needed to sort out the housing affordability problem.
Why is the government initiating innovative policy when the elephant in the room – the renters tax – is hanging around like a bad smell?
Mr Dick has broken his promise of no new taxes in Queensland and is now like a runaway train, imposing tax after tax to plug his $100 billion debt.
It’s time for the premier and her deputy to show some real leadership and abandon this pernicious tax.
If they think too many people are living in their cars and tents now, wait till this tax hits home.
Not exactly the images we want beamed around the world during an Olympic Games, is it?