Morning Briefing: Sydney-based broker latest ASX IPO candidate

A mortgage broker based in Sydney has lodged its prospectus to list with the Australian Securities Exchange... Capital gains tax changes would hurt families, housing market...

Sydney-based broker latest ASX IPO candidate
A mortgage broker based in Sydney has lodged its prospectus to list with the Australian Securities Exchange.

Mortgage broker N1 Finance & Lease is going public, hoping to be listed on the ASX by mid-March, according to the Australian Financial Review. 

N1 Finance launched Australia's first Mandarin mortgage comparison website, chengdai.com.au, in 2015 and is looking to issue up to 25 million shares to raise $5 million to fund growth. 

"N1 Finance is well placed to take advantage of a growing industry," managing director Ren Wong.

"We know the housing market is a cycle. The slowing growth is not new but key drivers are still positive – a strong employment rate and a growing population.

"There are a lot of opportunities for us in the refinance and off-the-plan mortgage markets, especially among Asian buyers both local and foreign."
 
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Capital gains tax changes would hurt families, housing market
Changes to how capital gains tax is applied to the sale of the family home in Australia would have a detrimental effect on average families and the nation’s property market according to one property lobby group.

Yesterday, Think tank the Australia Institute released a report that called for family homes worth more than $2 million to be no longer exempt from CGT and a re-think of the current 50% CGT discount on the sale of homes held for longer than 12 months.

The Australia Institute claimed the changes will leave the federal budget up to $12 billion better off over four years and also help improve housing affordability, but the Property Council of Australia (PCA) claims the proposal would bring about negative consequences.

“Existing homeowners would be penalised for moving under this proposal, which would force them to stay in homes. This unnecessarily impacts older Australians who are looking at downsizing,” PCA executive director residential Nick Proud said.

“Owner occupier homes make up two thirds of the 9 million homes in Australia today and the family home is generally the savings base for retirement. This proposal would unfairly impact on people’s futures,” Proud said.

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