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September 2009 |
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Tax axe bring bonanza Industry's stamp of approval as NSW's caravan sales soar
NSW's caravan industry is enjoying a welcome bonanza after the axing of stamp duty on caravan and camper trailer sales. According to State Treasurer Eric Roozendaal, caravan sales have soared by 33 percent since being freed from the unpopular tax on July 1. New South Wales was the last state to levy stamp duty on caravan sales but decided it would be prudent to bring itself into line with the rest of the country. The state's $83 million-a-year caravan industry – which had furiously lobbied for years to have the tax abolished – welcomed the initiative, saying it would be a shot in the arm for ailing sales and also help restore more than 400 jobs. And figures from the RTA and Office of State Revenue seem to back up its claim, with 1574 new and transferred caravan registrations in July compared with 1182 for the same period last year. Buyers now save around $1000 on a new caravan or camper trailer in NSW and are swelling order books at many of the state's 130 caravan and camper trailer manufacturers and dealers. Mr Roozendaal said consumers had saved nearly a million dollars since stamp duty was scrapped. Many families were now turning their backs on overseas holidays in favour of discovering the delights of home travel. "Small businesses in cities and towns across NSW will reap the benefit as more people holiday locally, and that has a significant flow-on effect for the state's economy," he said. "It was a common sense initiative – which saved NSW families money and, just as importantly, will support jobs in the caravan retail and servicing industries as well as promoting domestic tourism." Mr Roozendaal recently met caravan and tourism industry representatives at the Sydney Opera House and they reported that caravanning and camping were leading the resurgence in domestic holidays. According to statistics: • An average of 2600 caravans are sold each year by NSW businesses;• A caravan is manufactured every nine minutes in Australia; • At any one time there are up to 80,000 caravanners travelling around Australia; • NSW regions are the top three of the 10 most popular caravan and camping holiday destinations across Australia; and • The South Coast is the top destination, with 2.7 million visitor nights; the Mid-North Coast is second with 2.5 million and the Northern Rivers third with 1.7 million nights
No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted without Copyright 2005
Dennis Amor |
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