“A new ‘stamp duty’ proposed by Treasury is not the answer to the housing crisis” says ACT’s Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.

“A briefing to the Minister of Housing says from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development shows that Treasury is considering introducing stamp duty in New Zealand.

“Taxing houses to end the housing crisis is like trying to tax food to end a famine.

“We were never going to tax our way out of the housing crisis. What we need is to increase supply.

“It’s not the only off the wall proposal by Treasury. Treasury is also proposing compulsory acquisition of vacant land.

“That proposal was considered so extreme that even the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development slammed it.

“If you keep asking for advice without address the underlying problem, you’re going to get more extreme proposals.

“ACT’s answer is for the next generation to build like the Boomers.

“ACT would radically overhaul infrastructure funding, through a 30-year partnerships with central government for each region.

“We’d then replace the Resource Management Act with legislation designed to facilitate home building, and get councils out of the building consent business.

“Rather than dividing, the Government should be uniting New Zealanders behind good ideas.”

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