In June, Sydney introduced a 4% stamp duty surcharge on foreigners buying homes; the following month, Melbourne hiked stamp duty rates from 3% to 7% for foreign buyers – in both cases to deter rampant property speculation.
Among other measures, the government will introduce a nutritional stamp of approval for healthier foods on sale in supermarkets.
But he added: "The Chancellor's decision to introduce a new stamp duty system overnight, without warning and consultation, means that while 80% of homeowners continue to pay less tax or no tax at all under the Scottish system we now have the opportunity to review the rates and ensure they are right for Scotland".
Even though taxes are surmountable by most international wealth, after introducing a 15% stamp duty on non-resident purchases, the portion of buyers from mainland China has dropped from about 30% in October 2012 to 9% in January 2013, according to Knight Frank.
In 2014 we introduced a higher rate of stamp duty for properties over £1.5m and from April 2016 additional properties will face additional rates of stamp duty.
In Santiago, Chile, officials have introduced a means-tested "water stamps" scheme that covers part of the cost for the poorest citizens; the private firm running the city's water now has a clear incentive to serve the poor, who are paying customers, just like the fat cats down the road.Benefits are to be had in rich countries too.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 12 October 2009 – To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Malaysia's postal service, Pos Malaysia, has introduced a new set of stamps that aims to spread the word about children's rights.
This isn't a total surprise: Amazon Prime only began accepting food stamps last summer, and it introduced a discounted Prime membership for food stamp-using customers.
(The company eventually expanded deliveries to the rest of the borough and introduced a program to accept food stamps, both of which it said were planned).
