Thursday, 15 May 2025

Land tax

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:10): (911) My question is again to the Treasurer. Treasurer, land tax exemptions – that is, reductions in land tax for a variety of purposes, including a land tax exemption for principal place of residence and charities – are provided for 20 categories of landholdings. Will the Treasurer guarantee that none of these exemptions will be removed or wound back, including the exemption on principal place of residence and charitable institutions, in the forthcoming state budget as part of your desperate attempt to fill the black holes?

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:10): Mr Davis, as you have rightly indicated, there are a range of exemptions for land tax. You have identified principal place of residence and charities. It is also primary production land that is exempt from land tax. As I indicated in my previous answer, it is not my practice to foreshadow things that are in or not in next week’s budget, but I would not be looking for big changes in land tax.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:11): I thank the Treasurer for the answer, and I think the partial answer is no – but we will see. You have already announced you are going to clobber primary producers with a massive surge in emergency services taxes, and I therefore ask: will you guarantee that the land tax exemption for primary production will remain unchanged? It is indeed sacrosanct.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:11): Mr Davis, I certainly mentioned primary production exemption in my answer to your first question, and the answer that I gave in relation to not foreshadowing next week’s budget I am going to stick with. But you are barking up the wrong tree.