Business News
Rita Saffioti has signalled a potential expansion of the first home buyers’ grant, while reassuring developers connections to infrastructure should improve.
Speaking at an Urban Development Institute of Australia WA event today, the State Treasurer announced an extension to off the plan stamp duty exemptions for apartment buyers.
The government has expanded the remit of the scheme to townhouses and villas, as well as lifting the threshold by $50,000.
The $70.6 million scheme provides stamp duty exemptions to eligible buyers for dwellings up to $800,000 and discounts for dwellings above that.
When pressed on whether the government would increase the first home buyers grant, Ms Saffioti did not rule it out.
“This is our first announcement in relation to the budget … [and] there’ll be a whole range of different announcements on housing supply in the lead up to the main budget,” she said.
When media asked her about the issue afterwards, Ms Saffioti said the stamp duty reforms were the “first of a bunch of housing announcements”.
“This is about targeted initiatives to increase housing supply,” she said.