South-East Queensland communities have rejected the development industry's push to scrap infrastructure charges.

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) commissioned independent researchers, Market Facts, to survey households in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Redland, Sunshine Coast, Moreton, Ipswich, Scenic Rim and Lockyer regions.

LGAQ executive director Greg Hallam said the majority of households polled opposed the Property Council's proposal for infrastructure charges to be dropped.

“Eighty-two per cent of respondents strongly opposed this happening, while 84.2 per cent supported developer charges remaining as they currently stood,” he said.

“Respondents also responded negatively to a development industry claim that prices for new house and land packages would fall by the same amount of infrastructure charges if new arrangements were in place, with 78.5 per cent saying this was unlikely.”

Mr Hallam said 85.6 per cent of survey respondents deemed the rate of SEQ population growth as the most significant factor in the cost of land and housing, followed by 83.6 per cent who believed developer profit margins the most significant.

“Allowing home mortgage payments to be tax-deductible was the solution 90.4 per cent put forward to improving housing affordability, while 87.5 per cent wanted the elimination of state government stamp duty on house and land purchases,” he said.
 

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