Call to spend tax windfall on housing

THE State Government has raked in about $140 million more than it expected in stamp duty revenue over the past five years — and the community sector wants that money invested in social housing.

Analysis of Treasury documents shows the Government received $142 million more than budgeted between 2013-14 and 2017-18 in conveyance duty. It has attributed the boost to the state’s growing population and housing boom.

But the same interest in the property industry has been partly blamed for some Tasmanians being priced out of the rental market in the past 12 months. And last year, the Government reduced its social housing stock by almost 200 properties, according to recently released data from the Productivity Commission.

Shelter Tasmania executive officer Pattie Chugg called for the state’s stamp duty revenue to be invested in long-term affordable rental properties and a housing needs analysis.

“While rents are outpacing people’s incomes, and rental stress is at an all-time high affecting over 8000 households across the state, imagine what $100 million of extra new investment could do for people who need homes,” Ms Chugg said.

“While we support the [Government’s] current Affordable Housing Strategy, we have called repeatedly in our budget submissions for the allocation of the stamp duty windfall to stimulate building more homes for the future.

“A clear pipeline of planned construction will give surety to our building industry, as well as delivering much needed housing for the many Tasmanians facing unaffordable rents, and the risk of homelessness.”

Tenants’ Union of Tasmania solicitor Benedict Bartl echoed calls for the Government to invest more in social housing.

“We believe that the best use of available funds is to pay down the housing debt to the federal government which currently sees more than half of all social housing grants paid back to the Commonwealth in interest,” Mr Bartl said.

Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the revenue had “supported” spending in the health, education, public housing and infrastructure budgets, “as well as other essential services”.

Questions to Housing Minister Roger Jaensch were answered by a government spokesman: “The supply of new housing remains a priority for the Tasmanian Government with significant numbers of dwellings being delivered.”