Hon Martin Aldridge questions the Treasurer about the foreign buyers duty surcharge on residential property, referencing conflicting statements from the Treasurer and Minister for Housing regarding its impact. The Treasurer confirms the surcharge is not under review and expects a small impact on foreign buyers.

AnsweredQoN 1132Legislative Council
Asked
8 November 2018
Portfolio
minister representing the Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

FOREIGN BUYERS SURCHARGE
— RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY
1132. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the minister representing the
Treasurer:
I refer to the state government's
foreign buyers duty surcharge and recent comments by the Minister for Housing,
and I quote —
� as housing minister, I support it
for the simple purpose that if we take foreign investors out, we leave more
opportunities for owner–occupiers; actual Western Australians getting
access to housing on all points of the continuum.
(1) Given the
Treasurer's assertions that the impact on foreign investment in
residential property is likely to be negligible and closer to a rounding error,
is this incorrect or is the Minister for Housing misinformed?
(2) How many
foreign investors of residential property in Western Australia will be taken
out to create more opportunities for Western Australians, as the Minister for
Housing asserts?
(3) Is the
implementation of the foreign buyers duty surcharge under review, as the
Minister for Housing has suggested?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Neither
statement is incorrect.
(2) It is
expected that there will be only a small response from foreign buyers, who
comprise less than two per cent of annual transactions in the residential
property market in Western Australia.
(3) No. The
Minister for Housing said that he would pass on the views raised at the Urban
Development Institute of Australia lunch to the Treasurer, and he has done
this. The Minister for Housing also noted at the UDIA lunch that he supports
this measure.

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