A UNITED front of angry landowners rallied against a controversial land tax on the steps of Parliament House last Tuesday.

Lobby groups Taxed Out, Protectors of Public Lands Victoria, Planning Backlash and the Green Wedges Coalition took a stand against the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC) as the bill was debated in the lower house.

Protest MC David Trenerry said the GAIC still targeted the first property sale after its inclusion in the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) despite much of the land not being developed for 15 to 20 years.

“That’s not the Australian way, it’s not the fair go we all expect,” he said.

The State Government had made changes to the tax last month.

In a massive shake-up, people who buy and develop land in the UGB would encounter the tax not the owner choosing to sell.

The purchaser had an option to defer the $95,000 payment until the land is sold, sub-divided or developed.

The GAIC was slated to affect all landowners that sell or subdivide their rezoned farming land.

The government believed this was the fairest way to help pay for the infrastructure needed in growth areas.

Opposition Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the tax was the biggest issue in planning at present.

“In its current form this new tax will cripple the development industry in Victoria and add thousands to the cost of a new family home,” he said.