Australia Cars Marketing Research Shows Slowdown.
First-time homebuyers made up 18% of Australian mortgages to owner-occupiers in January, the most in more than 5 years, says the Housing Industry Association. Helping newbies enter the market has been steps by some state governments in mid-2017 that included cash grants. Policymakers, including at Australia’s central bank, should welcome the development amid earlier concerns that younger buyers had been frozen out of the market and investors have been borrowing less.
A proposal to scrap Australia’s tax break on dividends would hit many retirees, says an industry group representing the country’s fund managers and life insurers. The Financial Services Council also contends that constant tinkering with rules governing superannuation pensions would erode confidence and undermine Australia’s trust in the system, possibly pushing retirees and others who benefit from the tax break out of stocks and into property and bonds. The Labor opposition, which is leading opinion polls, pledges to end the system that offers a tax repayment to shareholders where the tax credit on a dividend is more than the tax they paid
tag line: automotive industry, cars, vehicle-sales, buyers, sellers, credit card, interest rate mortgage, properties.