Friday, February 21, 2025
The ongoing concerns of the residents of Dinner Plain were raised recently in Parliament by The Nationals’ Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, who demanded the Treasurer revoke the unfairly applied Vacant Residential Land Tax (VRLT).
Dinner Plain, located 10 kilometers from Mount Hotham, with an altitude of 1570m - higher than both Mount Baw Baw and Lake Mountain - has unjustly found itself without exemption from the VRLT unlike neighbouring regions, and is subsequently at the mercy of the imposed Land Tax.
The amended Land Tax Act is, in this instance, a contradiction of both its application and intended purpose.
The tax, designed to encourage owners of vacant residential homes to make them available for long term accommodation, is in direct conflict to the homeowners and businesses of Dinner Plain as they experience seasonal demand for accommodation due to its geographical position and likeness to the criteria of Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV).
“Dinner Plain, although outside the jurisdiction of Alpine Resorts Victoria, fulfills all the definitions of being an Alpine Resort, and for the purposes of the Land Tax Act should be considered as such” Mr McCurdy said.
“Dinner Plain is unique in that it is the only alpine resort which has not been exempt from the VRLT.
This is an anomaly which Mr McCurdy requested to be corrected to avoid any unfair treatment against Dinner Plain householders and businesses.
“It has a similar cyclical snow season to the other alpine resorts, lasting from June to early October, and runs the same snow season dates as the ARV resorts,” Mr McCurdy said.
“I ask the Treasurer to consider this application on its merits and exempt Dinner Plain from the Vacant Residential Land Tax.”
Labor cannot manage money, and Dinner Plain residents are paying the price.