Real estate tax bureau: who will be hit finally?

With the news that the Shanghai Municipal Government submitted the real estate tax reform Plan, it seems that the work of levying property tax on ordinary houses is entering a new stage. Recently, the top officials of the Ministry of Finance reconfirmed in a forum that the introduction of property tax is a foregone conclusion and pilot cities are being screened. Relevant departments in Shenzhen also said that they should pay close attention to when the boots will land.

If Shenzhen levies a property tax on housing, then everyone may face at least one of the following three questions: Will your rent go up? Will your house price go down? Will your investment cost increase? In everyone's expectation, the reporter found that many people think that although property tax may suppress house prices, house prices are unlikely to plummet, and some homeowners with financial strength are already stepping up planning opportunities.

"What if the house price does not fall and the rent rises?"

Mr. Chen, who rents a house near Songpingshan Primary School, recently went out to look at the house every weekend. However, he looked at many large and small households nearby and found that the current price is still not easy to bargain. Xiao Wang of Zhongyuan Real Estate told reporters: "Now many owners say that they are not short of money, just going out to visit the market, and some people come out to sell."

The house price has not been loosened, but Mr. Chen's rent has risen from 1.300 yuan to 1.350 yuan since June. Although this is only an industrial dormitory, there are complete commercial facilities nearby, so Mr. Chen found a relationship and moved in. "Because it is close to my daughter's school, in order to facilitate transfer, the high price and poor environment will be tolerated."

Hearing the news that it is possible to levy a real estate tax, he said that he is most worried that the owners will pass this part of the cost on to the renters. "The house here does not worry about rent." "Can the tax collected be used to raise our basic salary?" He said that if taxes raised his living cost, he should be compensated accordingly.

"In the initial stage of the new property tax collection, some problems will not be ruled out, such as causing cost-driven inflation." Jiang Jingfa, a professor at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, said that once the new tax is levied, it will increase the cost of enterprises and personal expenses, which may indirectly affect all levels of society through the mutual transmission of economic factors. Coupled with the negative confrontation of some interest groups, there may be some resistance factors in the operation of levying property tax.

"How much will the property tax be charged?"

"What is the rate of this tax?" In the reporter's interview, many people pay special attention to the tax rate of real estate tax. It is rumored that Shanghai is planning to levy a property tax of 0.8%. Ding Song, director of the Tourism and Real Estate Research Center of Shenzhen Comprehensive Development Research Institute, said that if it is really levied at 0.8%, it will be a very high fee.

However, many citizens are optimistic about the scope of property tax collection. "For houses with self-occupation needs, property tax should not be levied." "We don't participate in investment, so we shouldn't be the object of supervision."

However, according to the news, in a set of plans that have been formed in Shanghai, there is also a plan to tax the first suite, that is, the house with a per capita of more than 70 square meters, whether it is the first suite or not, will be subject to property tax. "If the government chooses a stricter control plan, it means that some first suites will not be spared."

Shenzhen Local Taxation Bureau has not received the news.

Recently, it has been reported that the Shanghai Municipal Government has submitted two sets of real estate tax reform plans to the central government, marking a new stage in the collection of real estate retention tax on ordinary houses.

Shenzhen, a pilot area in real estate tax reform, is prepared for this? The staff of Shenzhen Local Taxation Bureau said that they are also paying close attention to the trend of property tax, but there is no new news in this regard at present, and said that they will inform reporters as soon as there is news.

As early as June 5438+ 10, 2006, six provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, namely Beijing, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Shenzhen, Ningxia and Chongqing, took the lead in carrying out the pilot work of real estate simulation tax assessment. As the first pilot city to establish the "idling" mode of property tax, Shenzhen is also a leading city with rising house prices in recent years, and is generally expected to take the lead in levying it.

Since the collection of property tax needs to go through legislative procedures, and property tax is an existing tax, if it is to be extended to the scope of housing, it is considered as another way to levy "property tax", and only the original temporary regulations on property tax need to be revised.

According to a recent forum of a senior official of the Ministry of Finance, pilot cities for real estate tax are currently being screened.

■ Link

How to collect foreign property tax?

In the United States, the government generally collects real estate tax at the rate of 1% to 3% (the collection rate varies from state to state), and the tax base is a certain proportion of the assessed value of real estate. However, when the United States collects personal income tax, it has preferential treatment for people who own personal housing, such as giving certain tax breaks. For those who buy their own houses with bank loans, the loan interest expenses are allowed to be deducted when collecting personal income tax.

In the Netherlands, real estate tax targets include personal housing and commercial housing, and there are provisions for reduction and exemption for commercial housing and low-income people, but not for personal housing. This tax policy can be said to encourage housing rental, especially for low-income people.

In Canada, considering the different situations of the owners, the real estate tax is levied at 0.5%-65,438+05% of the total land and housing appraisal value. Real estate taxes for different purposes, such as self-occupation, self-occupation plus rental, commercial real estate, etc., are also different, and people who own second homes are also levied at high tax rates.

■ Public opinion

rent

"Rent may go up in the future"

■ Character introduction

Mr. Ye, male, "born in 1980s", unmarried, currently renting a house in Futian District, recently looking at the house, and planning to buy a house at the right time.

1. Do you think it is possible to increase the rent of the house you are renting after the property tax is levied in Shenzhen?

Ye: Not necessarily. It depends on the real estate tax. If it is less, it is estimated that the landlord will not raise the price casually, and we have signed a one-year lease. Even if the property tax is not levied after one year, the landlord may raise the price.

2. Do you think the house price will fall after the real estate levy in Shenzhen? Still rising?

Ye: I hope the house price will fall, but I can't see it clearly.

3. Will it speed up the progress of looking at the house and buying a house?

Ye: I will pay attention to it when I have time. Buying a house is different from buying cabbage, which does not mean that we can speed up the progress, and we are a little confused about the policy direction at present.

4. Should the property tax be levied from the second suite or houses above a certain area?

Ye: I suggest that the property tax be levied from the second suite or houses above a certain area, and the housing that meets the basic self-occupation needs should be appropriately reduced or exempted. After all, the latter belongs to self-occupation, while the former has more hype.

Property buyers

"If it exceeds 10,000 a year, I will be shocked."

■ Character introduction

Mr. Yu, male, aged 26, is a company employee. Now Caitian Village has a housing mortgage, and the current house price has increased by about 30% compared with when he just bought it.

1. If Shenzhen levies property tax, do you think house prices will fall?

Y: No! However, if the intensity of various regulatory policies is increasing, it may also fall back reasonably.

2. How much price drop can you bear? Will you sell the house?

Y: As long as it doesn't fall below the point where I bought it, ha. I don't sell the house, I live by myself.

Since I live in my own house, why are I so sensitive to falling house prices?

Y: After all, the house is my asset. If the property tax makes the house price fall and my assets shrink, then I am the first to oppose it!

4. How much do you think is appropriate to levy every year?

Y: I don't know, but I will be shocked if it exceeds 10 thousand a year!

Real estate speculators

"Not as powerful as I thought."

■ Character introduction

Teacher Hu is a middle school teacher, born in 1970. He started investing in real estate around 2003. At the peak, there were more than 20 suites in Shenzhen. At present, most of them have been realized, and only a few properties are reserved.

1. If the property tax is levied, what impact will it have on your investment? What do you think is the impact on real estate investors?

Hu: At present, my cash flow is relatively abundant, which is not big for me in personal influence. However, I feel that the overall impact of the property tax levy on real estate investors is still quite large.

2. Do you think the introduction of property tax will curb the phenomenon of "real estate speculation"? Will investors find ways to avoid taxes?

Hu: A single property tax will not curb the enthusiasm of real estate speculation. It is not as powerful as expected. Tight money is the worst. (Investors) If you don't have funds, you will be shot without bullets!

What effect do you think the property tax will have on housing prices?

Hu: Once monetary tightening, interest rate increase and property tax are implemented together, house prices will definitely fall.

If a property tax is levied, will you sell your property? Will you still invest in real estate? What changes will be made in the future investment mode?

Hu: I don't want to sell some of my houses. I plan to live for myself and leave them to my children. Others are more valuable, and the monthly payment is under control. If I sell the house now and buy it later, it is very likely that the down payment will not be enough.

■ Expert opinion

China Renmin University School of Finance

Professor Zhu Qing, Director of Political Department:

Adjust house prices by property tax

It is difficult to work in the medium and long term.

No matter what tax is levied, it is ultimately borne by taxpayers, that is, ordinary people.

If we reform or levy a property tax to curb housing prices, it will not work in the medium and long term. Whether to levy property tax now should be considered from the perspective of the whole macro tax burden. If China's macro tax burden is relatively low and China lacks tax revenue, then tax revenue should be increased. However, if the overall tax burden is not very low, then there is no need for the government to substantially increase tax sources. Now that the property tax is introduced, there will be certain problems.

In fact, we discuss whether the property tax should be levied, and the technical issue is secondary. For example, who will evaluate and how to collect it is secondary. The most important question is where to use the property tax collected. The most dominant view abroad is that property tax is levied on the principle of benefit, and individuals enjoy a lot of public services and should pay more taxes. The key question (in China) is whether the property tax and property tax can provide taxpayers with more thoughtful and perfect services.

Professor Jiang Jingfa, Vice President of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics:

The government should use the tax revenue for the construction of low-rent housing.

Collecting property tax during housing tenure is a radical measure to curb high housing prices. Personally, I am very much in favor of collecting this tax as soon as possible. At present, there are a large number of stock houses in many areas. The collection of property tax will increase the holding cost of investors and increase their selling pressure, which will have a huge squeezing effect and the bubble of high housing prices will be squeezed out. With the increase of housing supply, the market demand has eased. Only taxes can greatly reduce the return on investment of real estate speculators and let them gradually withdraw from the industry.

However, taxation is only the first step of regulatory policy. Property tax can effectively control high housing prices, and there must be supporting measures. The introduction of real estate tax has increased the burden on taxpayers. What if it leads to an increase in rent? How to eliminate the impact of cost-driven inflation in all walks of life?

Take it from the people and of course use it for the people. The government should use the property tax collected, including the land transfer fee collected from real estate developers, to build low-rent housing, increase the supply of housing, and try to avoid rising rents. Only in this way can we walk on two legs, adjust the real estate market and guide prices to fall back reasonably. At this stage, the implementation of these policies and measures is very resistant, no less than a revolution.

Ding Song, Director of Tourism and Real Estate Research Center of Shenzhen Comprehensive Development Research Institute:

It may involve a lot of interest adjustment.

Property tax is like a boot hanging in the air, I don't know when it will fall. It used to be mostly rumors. Now we can see that the attitude of the central government is still very clear, and the possibility of introducing property tax has increased. In a year or two, there may be experimental practices in many areas, but it is impossible to promote them on a large scale and should not be implemented in Shenzhen soon.

The complexity of property tax is very high, and it will not be reflected immediately like the second home loan. There are many problems left over from history in the transaction of the second home loan. The introduction of property tax and property tax in the holding link may involve many interest adjustment issues. However, the introduction of property tax is definitely the general trend, and it will be introduced sooner or later.

The original function of property tax should be the regulation of national tax. In the whole real estate development, including the establishment of affordable housing and the adjustment of land policy, the local government's income from land sales will decrease accordingly, and the state will open exports to local governments and give them new channels to increase income. The original meaning of property tax is such a channel.

Under the special situation of soaring real estate, property tax has the function of controlling house prices, especially investors have several houses, which will definitely have an impact on them. It is rumored that the property tax rate in Shanghai is 0.8%, which is a very high fee. But I still don't want to understand it as a measure to control housing prices.

Special planning Li Liu author Pan Yurong Ma Fang