First National Bucks Industry Stance

April 21, 2011 Leave a comment

First National Real Estate CEO, Ray Ellis, disagrees that stamp duties should be replaced with a broadening land tax or any other tax – saying it should just be abolished. 

It has long been recognised that stamp duty as a tax is inefficient and a complete rort, so, while it is obvious it needs to go, it should not be replaced with some other tax. 

When the GST was introduced, it was meant to phase out a number of various state and territory government taxes, duties and levies such as banking taxes and stamp duty. 

More than a decade on, we are still being burdened with stamp duty and it seems the industry is now being portrayed in the media as willing to settle for replacing the duty, instead of having it abolished altogether. 

The upcoming 2011 Federal Tax Summit presents the ideal opportunity to get blanket approval from state and federal governments to abolish this duty and there should be no further talk of ‘replacement’, but to deliver what was promised in the first place. 

A recent article said the OECD supported the rationalisation of state and government taxes, particularly stamp duty on house sales. Ex-Treasurer Peter Costello said it should have been eliminated when the GST was introduced and even the Henry Review recognises the need for it to go. 

The GST was meant to provide sufficient funding for state needs, and if they are not able to raise enough revenue through the GST they need to look at reform, rather than rorting hard-working Australians and replacing one tax for another.  Get rid of stamp duty altogether.

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Put A Freeze on Costs to Keep Warm

April 14, 2011 Leave a comment

There’s a lot homeowners can do to improve their carbon footprint and keep escalating power bills down during winter.

In winter, the typical Australian household consumes approximately 2700 kWh of energy, which is around 7 per cent more than in the warmer months.

So, while many environmentally-friendly actions should be taken throughout the year, it is during winter that we need to be more diligent and follow some additional guidelines.

Turn down heater thermostats by one or two degrees and close curtains and blinds to reduce heat escaping. Put on warmer clothing, like sweaters, to lessen the reliance on heaters for warmth.

Avoid leaving unnecessary lights on and switch them off when no one is in the room.  Outdoor lights should use motion sensors wherever possible.  Use lower wattage bulbs such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).  Appliances, such as computers and televisions, should be turned off at the wall, if possible.

Inspect the home for air leaks and install draught seals and weather stripping around doors and windows and repair faulty.

Upgrade all areas of the home to recommended insulation levels and potentially save 5 to 25 per cent on heating and cooling costs.

Install energy efficient appliances wherever possible.  Use major appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers or dryers at bed-time and other low energy use times of the day, and avoid using them between 4pm and 9pm – this is the optimal time to power down.

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