The Queensland Government is reported to have shelved its proposed reform to the Land Tax Act 2010 (Qld), which would have seen Queensland land tax levied at a rate calculated with reference to a landholder’s Australia-wide landholdings.
The decision not to proceed with the reforms, which would have required sharing of information by the Revenue Offices in other Australian States and Territories to be viable, comes shortly after the NSW Premier’s refusal to supply data to Queensland regarding the ownership of NSW land.
As at the date of this alert, there has not been any official confirmation from the Queensland Revenue Office (QRO) that the changes are no longer proceeding – the webpage on the QRO website that sets out the details of the changes that were passed into law in June (and which were set to commence with effect from 30 June 2023) simply notes: We’re aware of media reports about interstate land tax changes. We’ll update information as it becomes available.
While there is no official position, and no clarity on what ‘shelved’ means, we have received informal confirmation from the QRO that the changes will not be proceeding with effect from 30 June 2023 as set out in the amending legislation. However, what in fact occurs is of course a matter for the Queensland Parliament to decide.
Our article on the impact of the proposed changes, prior to the Queensland Government’s reported U-turn, is available here.