Melbourne councillor pushes to double rates for property investors and halve them for owner-occupiers

Economists have had mixed reactions to a Merri-bek councillor’s proposal to raise annual rates for investor landlords to an average of $3,600 per property to help first-home buyers. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

A councillor in Melbourne’s inner north has proposed doubling rates for landlords and slashing them in half for owner-occupiers and businesses, in a move that has drawn mixed reviews from economists.

Independent councillor James Conlan is set to move a motion on Wednesday night asking Merri-bek council to investigate how it could introduce a new “differential rate” for property investors in an effort to “make more homes available to first-home buyers”.