$6.8bn stamp duty bonanza – at the expense of FHBs

Huge NSW revenues from stamp duty have lifted state out of debt but prospective homebuyers are suffering. The New South Wales State Government received $6.8bn from stamp duties on residential property over the past year, the State’s 2017-18 Budget has revealed. The NSW State Government is now free of debt, with a $4.5bn surplus expected for 2016-17 and a surplus of $2.0bn expected next year. Stamp duty makes up a huge proportion of the State’s income, with revenues jumping 10% over the past year and expected to grow 6% each year for the next three years. As the State Government grows richer, NSW's first home buyers are struggling. In a CoreLogic survey of Australians of all ages, 48% of those in NSW said stamp duty was the most significant obstacle to housing affordability. Three-quarters of respondents felt that removing or reducing stamp duty would be an effective way to improve housing affordability in New South Wales. CoreLogic found that the average household in Sydney would take 1.7 years of no spending whatsoever to save a 20% deposit. Getting on the housing ladder in Sydney was far more expensive than any other city, including Melbourne. Stamp duty concessions Perhaps buoyed by its new found wealth, NSW is finally following the lead of other states such as Victoria by expanding stamp duty concessions. From July 1 stamp duty for FHBs will be abolished for new homes up to $650,000 with discounts on properties of up to $800,000. Additionally, grants of $10,000 will be available for new homes of up to $600,000 and for FHBs who build their home. Stamp duty will no longer be charged on lenders mortgage insurance. Over the past twelve months, 45.4% of dwellings sold across New South Wales had a price tag of $650,000 or less, notes CoreLogic director of research Tim Lawless. However, in the Sydney metropolitan area, just 25.8% of dwelling sales were at a price of $650,000 or less. The State’s stamp duty concessions may push Sydney FHBs towards units, given 33.5% of units sold in the last 12 months went for under $650,000. On a $650,000 dwelling purchase, a FHB will save $25,000 by not paying stamp duty. According to Lawless, “we can expect first home buyer sales to stall over the remainder of June and likely surge higher from the beginning of the new financial year.”