❓ Ms. Brewer questions the Treasurer about stamp duty reform, suggesting a 20% cut funded by government windfalls. The Treasurer rejects replacing stamp duty with a broad-based annual tax on family homes, accusing the opposition of advocating for increased housing demand without supply.
AnsweredQoN 229Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Stamp duty—Reform
229. Ms Sandra Brewer to
the Treasurer:
I refer to today's
article in The West Australian where
economists urge the Cook government to reform stamp duty ahead of a budget that
is expected to ignore calls for restraint. With stamp duty now approaching
quadruple the 2018–19 revenue, what consideration has the Treasurer given to
our calls for a 20% cut to stamp duty, funded by the windfalls we already know
the government will receive?
229. Ms Sandra Brewer to
the Treasurer:
I refer to today's
article in The West Australian where
economists urge the Cook government to reform stamp duty ahead of a budget that
is expected to ignore calls for restraint. With stamp duty now approaching
quadruple the 2018–19 revenue, what consideration has the Treasurer given to
our calls for a 20% cut to stamp duty, funded by the windfalls we already know
the government will receive?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for that question. Economists are calling for the abolition of stamp duty and
to replace it with a broad-based annual tax on the family home. That is what
the debate has always been—replace a transaction-based tax with a broad-based
annual tax on the family home. Is that what the member supports?
Ms Sandra Brewer: I support the reduction of
stamp duty, Treasurer. You won't do it, will you?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe! Please let the
Treasurer respond. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The premise of that question was
that we should be considering everybody—an annual tax on the family home, on
every home. That is what you are—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: I
assume, given the member quoted that initiative—I have to say that that
initiative has been around for decades. Like I was saying today, every couple of
years someone pops up and says, "You should replace a transaction-based
tax with this more efficient tax on everybody, on every family home." Do
members know what? We are not going to do it. We are not going to tax the
family home.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: We are not going to tax the family
home. That is what members opposite might want to do. Is that what you want to
do?
The Speaker: Treasurer, we have a point of order. Member
for Carine.
Point of order
Mr Liam Staltari: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Every
question time we repeat the standing order that questions and comments be
through the Chair.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister!
I know we are all
excited about tomorrow but let us just settle down and we will let the
Treasurer respond. Treasurer? Sorry, I have to deal with the point of order.
There is no point of order. I will not uphold that. Treasurer.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: Number one: the shadow Treasurer
says that we should be replacing stamp duty with a broad-based annual tax on
the family home. The second—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members of the opposition, you
do still have a supplementary at this stage, but if you continue to interject,
it is not going to happen. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Number one: the shadow Treasurer has
today said that we as a government—obviously, this is a policy that they would
like to do—should replace a transaction-based tax with an annual tax on the
family home. That is what the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members of the opposition!
Please stop your interjections.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Their policy is to cut stamp duty by
20%.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The opposition is calling for more
demand in housing, not more supply. That is exactly it. What it is calling for
is more demand. We have announced or are announcing $4.7 billion of
initiatives—
Ms Sandra Brewer: You're no economist!
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe, please do not
interject. Treasurer.
Mr Roger Cook: It's specifically what she is.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, that is my degree, but, anyway,
let us keep going.
The shadow Treasurer
is saying, "Don't spend on infrastructure, don't spend on getting more
homes out of the ground and don't build homes. That is what the shadow Treasurer
said. The shadow Minister for Housing and Works—who is the same person—has come
out and said, "Don't build more homes. Don't build more homes. Don't build
more homes," and then—
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Honestly, you guys just have a chat.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Rita Saffioti: No, I am not finished. I am just
waiting for them to.
The Speaker: No, she has not finished.
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: No. Member for Cottesloe, I have warned
you about continued interjections. I am going to call you for the first time.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The shadow Treasurer is saying we
should not be spending and we should not be providing cost-of-living relief. Do
you support free public transport until the end of the year, shadow Treasurer?
Several members
interjected.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Rita Saffioti: I am just trying to understand what
the opposition stands for. Does the shadow Treasurer support free public
transport until the end of the year? That is a policy that the Leader of the
Opposition announced. She is all over the place. When the shadow Treasurer was the
head of the Property Council of Australia, she was there saying, "Support
more infrastructure. Support more concessions for homebuyers." Now, she is
nowhere to be seen.
Our focus, members,
is on housing supply. We know that is the biggest priority and that is why this
budget injects—who was that? The member for Carine? The member is on record as adopting
that point of view, which is to replace a transaction-based tax, because there
is an argument about efficiency of taxation. There is always an argument
between economists about efficiency: What is an inefficient or efficient tax? They
are arguing that stamp duty is an inefficient tax.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! Stop
interjecting. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Replace the stamp duty with a—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: No, Central Wheatbelt. There is no point
of order. The Treasurer is responding to the question. If you stopped
interjecting, she would be able to finish. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Again, the opposition and now the member
for Carine has joined in—welcome! Welcome into the fold of the shadow Treasurer
who is leading them into the wilderness of "Cut taxes, but don't do too
much spending, and free public transport to the end of the year!". The shadow
Treasurer today in this place has said, "Replace stamp duty with a tax on
the family home."
for that question. Economists are calling for the abolition of stamp duty and
to replace it with a broad-based annual tax on the family home. That is what
the debate has always been—replace a transaction-based tax with a broad-based
annual tax on the family home. Is that what the member supports?
Ms Sandra Brewer: I support the reduction of
stamp duty, Treasurer. You won't do it, will you?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe! Please let the
Treasurer respond. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The premise of that question was
that we should be considering everybody—an annual tax on the family home, on
every home. That is what you are—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: I
assume, given the member quoted that initiative—I have to say that that
initiative has been around for decades. Like I was saying today, every couple of
years someone pops up and says, "You should replace a transaction-based
tax with this more efficient tax on everybody, on every family home." Do
members know what? We are not going to do it. We are not going to tax the
family home.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cottesloe!
Ms Rita Saffioti: We are not going to tax the family
home. That is what members opposite might want to do. Is that what you want to
do?
The Speaker: Treasurer, we have a point of order. Member
for Carine.
Point of order
Mr Liam Staltari: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Every
question time we repeat the standing order that questions and comments be
through the Chair.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister!
I know we are all
excited about tomorrow but let us just settle down and we will let the
Treasurer respond. Treasurer? Sorry, I have to deal with the point of order.
There is no point of order. I will not uphold that. Treasurer.
Questions without notice resumed
Ms Rita Saffioti: Number one: the shadow Treasurer
says that we should be replacing stamp duty with a broad-based annual tax on
the family home. The second—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members of the opposition, you
do still have a supplementary at this stage, but if you continue to interject,
it is not going to happen. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Number one: the shadow Treasurer has
today said that we as a government—obviously, this is a policy that they would
like to do—should replace a transaction-based tax with an annual tax on the
family home. That is what the—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Members of the opposition!
Please stop your interjections.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Their policy is to cut stamp duty by
20%.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Rita Saffioti: The opposition is calling for more
demand in housing, not more supply. That is exactly it. What it is calling for
is more demand. We have announced or are announcing $4.7 billion of
initiatives—
Ms Sandra Brewer: You're no economist!
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe, please do not
interject. Treasurer.
Mr Roger Cook: It's specifically what she is.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Yes, that is my degree, but, anyway,
let us keep going.
The shadow Treasurer
is saying, "Don't spend on infrastructure, don't spend on getting more
homes out of the ground and don't build homes. That is what the shadow Treasurer
said. The shadow Minister for Housing and Works—who is the same person—has come
out and said, "Don't build more homes. Don't build more homes. Don't build
more homes," and then—
Several members
interjected.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Honestly, you guys just have a chat.
The Speaker: Member for Cottesloe.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Ms Rita Saffioti: No, I am not finished. I am just
waiting for them to.
The Speaker: No, she has not finished.
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: No. Member for Cottesloe, I have warned
you about continued interjections. I am going to call you for the first time.
Ms Rita Saffioti: The shadow Treasurer is saying we
should not be spending and we should not be providing cost-of-living relief. Do
you support free public transport until the end of the year, shadow Treasurer?
Several members
interjected.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Rita Saffioti: I am just trying to understand what
the opposition stands for. Does the shadow Treasurer support free public
transport until the end of the year? That is a policy that the Leader of the
Opposition announced. She is all over the place. When the shadow Treasurer was the
head of the Property Council of Australia, she was there saying, "Support
more infrastructure. Support more concessions for homebuyers." Now, she is
nowhere to be seen.
Our focus, members,
is on housing supply. We know that is the biggest priority and that is why this
budget injects—who was that? The member for Carine? The member is on record as adopting
that point of view, which is to replace a transaction-based tax, because there
is an argument about efficiency of taxation. There is always an argument
between economists about efficiency: What is an inefficient or efficient tax? They
are arguing that stamp duty is an inefficient tax.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! Stop
interjecting. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Replace the stamp duty with a—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Point of order, Mr Speaker.
The Speaker: No, Central Wheatbelt. There is no point
of order. The Treasurer is responding to the question. If you stopped
interjecting, she would be able to finish. Treasurer.
Ms Rita Saffioti: Again, the opposition and now the member
for Carine has joined in—welcome! Welcome into the fold of the shadow Treasurer
who is leading them into the wilderness of "Cut taxes, but don't do too
much spending, and free public transport to the end of the year!". The shadow
Treasurer today in this place has said, "Replace stamp duty with a tax on
the family home."
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