Aahhhh Mike, you've discovered the great Australian scam of "stamp duty".
Nobody knows what it's for or why it is charged. Certain items (cars, bikes, houses etc) attract stamp duty even when privately sold. I sell a bike to my mate and I have to pay the government a commission which they call stamp duty. There are no administration costs to cover, those costs are paid when you register the car or property. Legal fees (ie the transfer) for a house attracts considerable fees on top of the stamp duty.
It's essentially highway bloody robbery. You're right to warn people of this sneaky little charge which leaps out from behind the bushes and pulls your pants down. Most countries have some henious charge the taxation spawn have dreamed up - ours is called stamp duty.
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