PERRON Group general manager Ian Armstrong has been elected the new WA president of the Property Council of Australia, replacing Luke Saraceni who completed a two year term. Mr Armstrong said it was an exciting time to be involved in the WA property sector, however he noted some important challenges ahead. “One of the first challenges we face is the reduction of property taxes at the forthcoming state budget. It is deplorable the state government has allowed the level of property taxes in WA to exceed 50 per cent of total tax revenue,” he said. High on the council’s agenda would be fast-tracking of the completion of the state’s infrastructure strategy, the deregulation of retail trading hours in line with other states and the continued development of growth oriented policies.