Each day we summarise what Noel Whittaker has been writing about — here's his latest.
If you own an investment property, or you were thinking about buying one, the November edition of Noel Whittaker's newsletter is worth twenty minutes of your time. He walks through the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes announced in last May's federal budget, and explains why he thinks they may not play out the way the government hopes.
The short version: investors who buy established properties after budget night will no longer be able to offset rental losses against their wages from July 2027. Existing investments are protected, and newly built homes are exempt. The 50% capital gains tax (CGT) discount is also being replaced — with an inflation adjustment and a minimum 30% tax on gains accruing from July 2027, again with concessions for new housing.
Noel's point is less about the rules themselves and more about human behaviour. Take the tax advantages away from established property and investors start looking elsewhere. Fewer sales also means less stamp duty for state governments, which he notes have grown uncomfortably dependent on a busy property market. And if the headlines keep warning that prices could fall further, first-home buyers have little reason to hurry either — even though lower prices are meant to be the whole point.
For anyone in their forties or fifties, the practical question is simpler: where should the next dollar of long-term savings go? If established residential property has lost some of its tax appeal, superannuation and other investments deserve a fresh look. Timing matters too, because the CGT changes apply to gains accruing from July 2027 — not to what you have already built up.
"The danger is that in trying to make housing more affordable, the government could end up creating a market in which buyers and investors alike are too nervous to act."
Read the full article: Noel News November 2026 — Noel Whittaker, Noel News, November 2026.
If the budget changes have you rethinking where your long-term money belongs, Noel Whittaker's Super Made Simple (8th Edition) explains the new rules in plain English — including the end of several capital gains tax strategies from 30 June 2027, the rewritten $3 million super tax, and the current caps and thresholds. Updated for the current financial year, $16.95, PDF and EPUB both included, and you buy direct from the author.