In response to Ryan Gray (Letters, February 3) that property priorities are wrong.
Property speculators cannot be blamed for the homeless. I was a single working woman when I bought my first two houses in my 20s. My working life started at 10 getting paid $2.50 an hour. I sometimes held down three jobs, working day and night
including weekends to save for the first deposit. At times I have paid nearly
50 per cent on some of my earnings in tax, by the time you take GST into account.
People have choices in life. Whether to work or not to work, whether to save or
not to save.
Property speculators are liable for tax, if they intend to purchase a property to
do up or sell for profit and then sell it within a two year period - then they are liable
for capital gains tax. If they've paid 50 per cent of their income in tax, and then pay another 30 per cent in capital gains tax for speculating, then it's 80 per cent in tax they've paid on some of their earned income. Sound fair?
To blame property speculators for social problems is unfair, as you have to see
how hard they have worked and what they've sacrificed to be able to buy a house.
They don't get handouts and think the world owes them a living.
