The idea of a foreigner stamp duty levy was first led by the Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland government, stating that it was only fair that foreign investors pay their fair share to fund government services and infrastructure.\rIn reality, it was a kneejerk reaction by the government to curb competition from foreign buyers even though the main reason for high property prices was undersupply.\rThe Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Tasmania (TAS), South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (NT) have introduced their land tax and stamp duty levies. The Northern Territory (NT) is the only state that is free of the foreigner surcharge.\rApart from buying in the NT, there are other ways to avoid the levy, such as purchasing as joint tenants with an Australian citizen or waiting until you become a permanent resident (PR visa).\rPlease refer to the foreign citizen stamp duty page for more information on exceptions and call your relevant state revenue office to confirm as government legislation changes regularly in this space.