Economics distortions, page-4

"Ever heard of a tax that dates back to 1604? Yes, that’s stamp duty for you! Originating in Venice, it has stood the test of time and is now a form of tax charged by state and territory governments on certain transactions and documents. The primary purpose of stamp duty is to fund public sector projects and services such as health, education, and infrastructure. "

if the states remove the stamp duty on property purchases then are they going to cut expenditure on health, education and infrastructure? Most likely no.

If so then what do the proponents of stamp duty exemption want? Well, to pass the tax burden to somebody else, which they already do with exemptions of all sorts (capital gains and pension assets test for the principal residence) including in Victoria from the stamp duty itself available to first time home buyers on homes being transferred below a certain threshold.