My Story

My name is Angie Romas and I've been a part owner of DH Corrosion-DPC Coatings since 2001 and the sole owner since 2018. We employ a small crew of 13 employees and our business has operated on this site since 1973. We've seen state governments come and go, been involved with many major Victorian projects, observed as the Eastlink freeway was built through our property thus reducing the size of our business, but we've never seen such insidious land tax rises that have brought our small business to its knees. We've tried to appeal to the State Revenue Office, local members of parliament and newspaper media regarding our 'pain' but no one could or would help. I know there are many other people and businesses who are hurting like us, and now we're reaching out for some support to see if our combined voices can change the state of land tax in Victoria.

My Fourth Letter to the State Treasurer (previous letters sent to Tim Pallis in 2022, 2023 & 2024).

7th March 2025

Jaclyn Symes MLC
Victorian State Treasurer
Level 4 / 1 Treasury Place
East Melbourne VIC 3002

Subject: Land Tax At 86 Ordish Rd, Dandenong South

Dear Jaclyn,

My name is Angie Romas and I’ve written to the SRO the past three years regarding the escalating rate of land tax on our property / business in Dandenong South.

As I explained in each of my letters, our business was established in 1973 and has been fortunate to have been a supplier for major projects in Victoria such as Docklands Stadium, MCG Expansion and Refurbishments, New Museum of Victoria, Southern Cross Station, Eastlink bridges and gantries a number of new railway stations and various oil & gas and wind farm projects.

In 2015 our land tax bill was $8,703.00 and since then it has increased exponentially to $203,600 in 2025, an increase of ~2340% over the past 10 years. Over the last 5 years, the land tax has increased by ~538% but the unimproved value of the property, according to our rates notice, has only increased by 243% – see table below. Our council rates have risen modestly from $25,213.00 per annum in 2015 to $38,776.00
per annum in 2025 over the same 10 year period (153% increase).

Issue Date Amount Assessed Unimproved Value
Feb 2025 $203,600.00 $9,500,000
Feb 2024 $153,550.00 $7,600,000
Feb 2023 $100,650.00 $5,850,000
Feb 2022 $60,997.50 $4,295,000
Feb 2021 $37,800.00 $3,570,000
Jan 2020 $28,350.00 $3,150,000
Jan 2015 $8,703.00 $1,716,000

We have operated our business consistently on this site since 1973. This business generates a steady tax income stream ( GST, payroll tax, company tax) for the state and federal governments.

Why do Victorian businesses employing people and generating income for our federal and state governments get penalised so harshly with land tax? Who would want to start a new business in Victoria?

Since 2009, land tax thresholds have remained the same while land values have risen significantly and the tax percentage payable has increased by ~11%. We believe this is an unfair tax and has become a major burden to our business and diminished our ability to employ more personnel and run a profitable business. A this rate, the land tax will catch up to and exceed the annual rental within 3-4 years.

We need a property of this size to handle and treat large fabrications and volumes of steelwork required to complete major projects. We are trying to increase our pricing but we also have to remain competitive to win our share of business. There are businesses in the same area and industry as ours which have roughly one quarter the size property and yet our land tax bill is 15-20 times greater than theirs.

The idea of running a business, employing workers, and striving to generate a profit only to pay a significant portion of this profit over to the state government in land tax has become a ridiculous business model. We now find ourselves planning the closure of our business at Ordish Road as the land tax has become too large a cost to justify continuing our business. We’re not going to continue until we ‘go broke’ or stay in business just to pay the SRO a land tax. This will put fifteen people out of work and close a business which turned 52 years old in March 2025.

Is there any way we can reduce this tax on our property / business?

I look forward to your response.

Regards

Angie Romas

Interview on A Current Affair 15th May 2025

Article in The Australian on 15th May 2025

‘They can afford to pay’; Symes doubles down on land tax

Jaclyn Symes has defended a 2300 per cent land tax hike on a Victorian small business owner, saying that businesses have a greater capacity than ordinary households to cough up taxes.

The Treasurer doubled-down on the government's tax hikes after the owner of a Dandenong South sandblasting business that has worked on some of the biggest construction projects in Melbourne, including the MCG, was left reeling after his land tax bill spiralled from $8700 to more than $203,000 in the past decade.

Asked about the tax hit on Thursday, Ms Symes said the land tax payable by property owners was directly attributable to the value of their land.

“We want to ensure that we get the balance right in relation to the levies and taxes that people pay, we want to ensure that we have the revenue for the services that Victorians rely on to be delivered,” Ms Symes said.

“We don’t want impacts on those that are suffering cost of living pressures, ordinary households and the like, that’s why we set our tax settings with consideration of those that have the greater capacity to pay.”

Angie Romas, who has run his steelwork, sandblasting and painting business DH Corrosion & DPC Coatings for more than 20 years, is in the frontline of Labor’s assault on businesses and property investors that will see the Allan government reap a predicted $9.3bn from land taxes – including its extra Covid debt levy on landholdings – in 2027-28, up from the $5.2bn it collected in 2022-23.

Labor has hiked land taxes as Victoria buckles under state debt which last year’s budget forecast to grow from $156.2bn this year to $187.8bn in June 2028.

Mr Romas, 60, who owns his business with his son Adam, 28, wrote in March to Ms Symes, who will deliver her first budget as the state’s treasurer next Tuesday, pleading for relief. He told The Australian on Wednesday he had not received a response.

In his letter to Ms Symes, Mr Romas said he was looking at closing his business because the land tax had “become too large a cost to justify” its continuation at the premises.

Mr Romas said his business – which employs 14 people and has been a supplier for major Victorian projects including the MCG expansion and refurbishments, Docklands Stadium, Southern Cross station and EastLink bridges — had been operating consistently at its Dandenong South site since 1973.

“This business generates a steady tax income stream (GST, payroll tax, company tax) for the state and federal governments,” Mr Romas wrote. “Why do Victorian businesses employing people and generating income for our federal and state governments get penalised so harshly with land tax? Who would want to start a new business in Victoria? The idea of running a business, employing workers, and striving to generate a profit only to pay a significant portion of this profit over to the state government in land tax has become a ridiculous business model.”

On Thursday, Ms Symes said she was in the process of receiving advice on Mr Romas’ letter and that a response would be forthcoming.

“I receive a lot of correspondence,” Ms Symes said. “I respond personally to people that write in about land tax.”

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in its submission for Tuesday’s state budget, called for a reduction or removal of taxes that it said were stifling business investment, including land taxes and stamp duty. “State-based taxes on business dampen business growth and investment,” the chamber’s submission stated. “Further, the business community is already wearing both the mental health levy and the Covid debt levy, both of which have had a significant financial impact.

“There is no possibility of absorbing any further tax impost. Just three taxes alone – payroll tax, land tax and land transfer duty for commercial and industrial land – represent an average 40 per cent of Victoria’s total tax revenue. These taxes have increased at an average annual rate of 7.6 per cent in nominal terms.”

The chamber’s chief executive, Paul Guerra, said the spike in land tax was “pushing costs to unsustainable levels, stalling investment, slowing transactions and choking growth”.

“Instead of boosting activity, these changes are scaring off new and existing businesses and investors,” Mr Guerra said. “Winding back land tax would send a clear message: Victoria is open for business. If not, investment will keep heading elsewhere.”

Mr Romas said he was considering subdividing the land or selling it and moving to a smaller factory. However he said operating on a smaller property would reduce his business because it required a large property to handle and treat large fabrications and volumes of steelwork required to complete big projects.

“Why are business owners being extorted to pay for major projects and debt the state government has incurred?” he asked.

Mr Romas said he thought the government were trying to drive him out of the property “so that they can crystallise a sale of the property and then get the stamp duty”.

The state government expects to collect more than $10bn from Victorian taxpayers in stamp duty in 2027-28, up from $8.5bn in 2024-25, according to estimates in last year’s budget.

In its 2023 budget, the government introduced the extra land tax – the Covid debt levy – which applies until 2033 on eligible landholdings as part of its “Covid debt repayment plan”.

Revenue from the Covid debt levy on landholdings was expected to be $1.3bn in 2024-25 then grow by an average of 5.8 per cent per year, while land tax revenue was forecast to be $6.5bn in 2024-25 and estimated to grow by an average of 6.2 per cent per year over the forward estimates in last year’s budget.

By Lily McCaffrey