Record low interest rates have shown up in new statistics from the Australian Taxation Office, in a sizable drop in negative gearing tax claims by property investors.
Claim for rental properties fell from around $13.8 billion to $12 billion between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 financial years.
The latest statistics for 2012-13 show that 1.26 million people deducted losses made on investments (including mortgage interest) from their overall income, from the 12.7 million lodged individual tax returns.
The overall cost of negatively-geared rental properties has fallen by $2.4 billion, or 31 per cent, in 2012-13, due to record low interest rates and higher rents.
The Tax Office's latest statistics shows 1.9 million landlords.
The value of rent returned was up 8.6 per cent to $36 billion but the value of interest claimed was down 6.7 per cent to $22 billion.
While the number of landlords with negatively-geared properties increased by almost 60,000, their tax deductions fell 13 per cent.
The highest number of property investors claiming tax deductions had a taxable income - after tax deductions - of between $37,000 to $80,000 a year.
