Property or shares? The budget just flipped the script |
Property or shares? The budget just flipped the script
May 17, 2026 — 5:00am
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It’s been a big week for money nerds, as Tuesday night saw Treasurer Jim Chalmers stand up and announce a whole raft of changes to how Australians are taxed on investments in an attempt to close the yawning intergenerational inequality divide.
On the chopping block was the 50 per cent capital gains discount, negative gearing on newly purchased properties, and family trust tax-splitting. And you know what? Good riddance to the lot of them.
With few exceptions, these policies have allowed those with wealth to further entrench their privileged position, all while making things more difficult for younger generations.
How the tax changes impact property investors and first home buyers
Yes, you could argue young investors were benefiting from the CGT discount and this will just make it harder for them to build wealth and so on. But 83 per cent of the benefit of the current CGT discount currently goes to those in the top 10 per cent of taxpayers, so I think it’s pretty clear who really had their hand in the cookie jar.
The........