Taxing and Duties on property transactions?

[wally]

Should the governent do away with excessive taxes and duties on property transactions and new developments? And instead charge a smaller tax across the board on all properties?

It seems counter intuitive the way that most taxes are pushed to new developments or transactions. If there is a "slow" year the government revenue would be severly affected.
I talso means it is in the governments interest is to encourage turn over (and price rise).

Wouldnt it make more sense and be more impartial and efficient, to charge a tax across all existing properties.

 

[InnerWestie]

The fundamental issue I see with this is that the high entry and exit costs encourage and promote a certain level of stability in the property market.

By reducing these costs and spreading them more evenly across the propery sector, the government inadvertently makes it easier to buy and flip and ultimately you encourage a share market mentality that can result in sudden rises and drops in property prices which in my opinion is not desirable.