13/05/2026
Huge news from last night's Federal Budget proposed. The Government has announced the biggest shake-up to Negative Gearing and CGT in decades. Here’s the 1-minute breakdown:
1️⃣ Negative Gearing Change
Established Homes: If you buy an existing home after 7:30 PM last night (May 12, 2026), you can no longer use rental losses to lower the tax on your salary. Losses are "quarantined" to offset future rental profit or capital gains only.
New Builds: These are exempt! You can still use losses to lower your taxable salary income.
Current Owners: You are grandfathered. If you already own it, your tax perks stay exactly the same.
2️⃣ CGT Reform (Starting July 1, 2027)
The 50% discount is being replaced by an Indexation Model (you only pay tax on gains above inflation) with a 30% minimum tax rate.
New Build Perk: If you buy brand new, you get to choose between the old 50% discount or the new indexation model.
💡 THE EXAMPLE: New vs. Established
Imagine you earn $120k/year and buy an investment property with a $10,000 annual loss:
👉 If it's a NEW BUILD: You deduct the $10k from your $120k salary. You only pay tax on $110k, usually resulting in a ~$3,450 tax refund back in your pocket now.
👉 If it's ESTABLISHED (Bought today): You pay tax on your full $120k salary. That $10k loss is "saved" in a digital bucket to reduce your tax later when you sell the property.
The Bottom Line: The "tax math" now heavily favors buying brand-new property.
Want to know how this affects your specific strategy? Just reply to this message!
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Prakul Arora