Tax & duty
Transfer duty, land tax and the other taxes on Queensland property, with the concessions that reduce them.
Court fines foreign owner $508,000 for leaving a block unbuilt
A Federal Court penalty of $508,000 against a foreign owner who never built on a $296,000 block shows how the four-year rule and the vacancy fee apply, in Queensland too.
GST and Queensland property: new homes, vacant land, margin scheme
When a Queensland property sale carries GST and when it does not: new and existing homes, vacant land, the margin scheme and the amount a buyer must withhold at settlement.
Tax Institute: trust tax relief leaves State duty and GST unsolved
The Tax Institute's 18 September submission says families moving property out of a discretionary trust could get federal relief and still face full State duty and GST.
Revenue Office drops its card surcharge as land tax falls due
From 1 October the Queensland Revenue Office will stop adding a surcharge to card payments of land tax, duty and fines. The timing matters for this year's assessments.
Council rates in Queensland: how the bill is built and how to object
How a Queensland council turns a land valuation into a rates bill, why a higher valuation does not mean an equal rise, and the two objections open to an owner.
Draft law puts a 30% tax floor under family trusts that hold property
Treasury's exposure draft of 3 September sets a 30 per cent minimum tax on discretionary trust income from July 2028. What it means for a Queensland rental held in trust.
The ATO clearance certificate every Queensland seller now needs
Without a clearance certificate, a buyer must withhold 15 per cent of the price for the ATO, even from an Australian seller. Who applies, when, and what goes wrong.
Land tax bills for 2026-27 are going out: who gets one and why
The Queensland Revenue Office began issuing 2026-27 land tax assessments in mid-August. Who is liable, how the bill is worked out and the deadlines printed on it.
Nineteen council areas to get new land values in 2027, Logan included
The State has named the 19 local government areas to be revalued in 2027, from Logan and Moreton Bay to Mount Isa. The valuation date is 1 October 2026.
Home concession now asks for citizenship: what changes for movers
Since 1 August the Queensland home concession, worth up to $7,175, is closed to most temporary residents. The forms, the arithmetic and the conditions that have not moved.
How Queensland values your land: site value, the cycle and objections
The Valuer-General's figure drives both council rates and land tax. A guide to what site value includes, the dates in the yearly cycle, and the 60 days an owner has to object.
Capital gains tax when you sell: the main residence exemption's limits
Selling the home you live in is usually free of capital gains tax. This guide covers the conditions, the six-year absence rule, rented rooms, inherited homes and the 2027 changes.
Transfer duty in Queensland: rates, the home concession, when it is paid
What Queensland transfer duty costs at each price, how the home concession takes up to $7,175 off, the conditions attached to it, and the 30-day and 14-day deadlines for paying.
New capital gains rules are now law, and the family home stays exempt
The ATO confirmed on 29 June that the capital gains tax changes are law from 1 July 2027. The main residence exemption is untouched, but partly taxable homes will be counted differently.
Budget sees transfer duty dip to $8.3 billion while land tax climbs
Queensland's 2026-27 Budget forecasts $8.346 billion in transfer duty, down on this year, and land tax rising by half by 2029-30. What the revenue lines say about property.
Logan adds 5.49 per cent and Moreton Bay 4.69 to minimum rates
Logan's $1.39 billion budget and Moreton Bay's $1.2 billion budget both lift the minimum general rate. The two growth councils quote their increases in ways that are easy to misread.
Townsville and Cairns rates climb about 7 per cent as costs bite
Townsville's budget lifts residential rates by an average 6.8 per cent and Cairns adds about $283 to a median bill. In both northern cities, waste, water and fuel do the damage.
Brisbane lifts rates 3.97 per cent, the lowest rise announced so far
Brisbane City Council's $3.9 billion budget adds $1.22 a week to the average owner-occupier's rates and raises the pensioner rebate to $1,350. What sits behind the headline.
Gold Coast holds its rates rise to 4.7 per cent after dropping 5.7
The Gold Coast's $2.7 billion budget lifts owner-occupier rates by 4.7 per cent and keeps the 10 per cent discount, ten days after councillors rejected a higher figure.
Land tax in Queensland: who pays it, the thresholds and the exemptions
Queensland land tax is set by what you own at midnight on 30 June. A guide to the $600,000 and $350,000 thresholds, the rates, the home exemption and how an assessment is paid.