According to a recent report by the independent Victorian Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), Victorians are paying the highest property taxes across the country.
Victorians will pay $2,120 in property taxes per person across 2023-24, compared with $1,646 in New South Wales and $1,343 in Queensland.
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The finding shows that the new Rent Tax and COVID Debt Levy is expected to drive a spike in total land tax revenue per person from $783 in 2022-23 to $1,051 in 2023-24.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the Andrews Government continued punishing renters and first-home buyers for their waste and mismanagement.
“Victorians are being made to pay the highest taxes in the nation because of the waste and mismanagement of the Andrews Government,” Mr Pesutto said.
“Every extra dollar in property taxes adds more pressure on rents and property prices at a time Victorians are already struggling to make ends meet,” he said.
According to the PBO, the land tax revenue will jump 34 per cent from $783 in 2022-23 to $1,051 in 2023-2024.
Shadow Minister for Home Ownership and Housing Affordability Jess Wilson said renters and first home buyers shouldn’t be the ones to pay for “the incompetence of the Andrews Government”.
“This independent analysis confirms what every Victorian struggling to pay rent or saving to buy a home already knows,” Ms Wilson said.
“Labor’s Rent Tax and higher land taxes are making homes less affordable across the state,” she said.
“Finding an affordable and secure place to call home is already challenging enough, yet instead of easing pressure, the Andrews Government’s property taxes are punishing those who can least afford it.”
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