Stamp duty isn’t going anywhere until we can agree on the tax to replace it
- Written by Joey Moloney, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute

Nearly all economists and most politicians seem to agree stamp duty is a bad tax. But nearly all state and territory governments rely on it to keep the lights on.
It’s a bad tax because it taxes homeowners every time they move, merely because they have moved. At A$40,000 per move on a median-priced home in Sydney or Melbourne,...