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Could a tax against empty homes help end Australia's housing crisis? (www.abc.net.au)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/australia@aussie.zone
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My first instinct is "yes" but then I thought about it and I think it's just going to exacerbate the short-stay problem unless combined with other measures.

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[–] 5 points 3 years ago (1 child)

Yep. Can't dodge it, encourages productive use. The only thing is it might push more properties towards airbnb unless you tax that more to make it less profitable.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    Outside of holiday towns I don't think AirBNB is actually an issue it's such a small percentage of properties that it's really just marginal. Arguably they get a small subsidy for paying residential rates but most the time it's an apartment that gets the minimum rate so effectively a hotel is paying less.

    In holiday towns it's similar but arguably they cause more dramatic spikes in rent but overall it should be similar. Tourists are also generating a lot of revenue and jobs so would you rather low rent but no jobs or higher rent but a competitive job market?

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