Finally Labour gets it - Land supply is key to housing
Finally Labour gets it - Land supply is key to housing
Press release: ACT New Zealand
May 18, 2016.
2:45pm
It’s great to see Labour supporting ACT’s policy of removing the Auckland urban boundary, says ACT leader David Seymour.
“Artifically restricted land supply has always been the source of housing unaffordability. But until now the debate has been driven by hysteria over foreigner buyers and speculators.
"Hopefully this is a turning point and all political parties will focus on the real solution - freeing up land and increasing housing supply by removing red tape.
"In 2014 ACT was the only party that campaigned on abolishing Auckland's urban limit. Extraordinarily high land prices have locked an entire generation out of home ownership, and as the Productivity Commission found, it's the urban limit that artificially pushes up the price of land.
"Labour and National should now give up on the rhetorical arms race against ‘demand’. Introducing new taxes will do nothing to get more houses built, and throwing taxpayer money at subsidies like Homestart will only inflate house prices."
ENDS