The government is being blamed for inconsistency in its adminstration of real estate policies despite it has implemented the tax policies for the past 40 years. What needs to come before policies is the elimination of ill-conceived regulations that di...
The government is being blamed for inconsistency in its adminstration of real estate policies despite it has implemented the tax policies for the past 40 years. What needs to come before policies is the elimination of ill-conceived regulations that distorted the real estate market and constrained real-estate transactions, and a creation of an environment that is conducive to a healthy functioning of the real estate market. This study examined the phenomena and cause of the steep rise in the number of houses for the past 26 years on a time-series basis, and policies and legal enactments by the government and lawmakers. The study makes a few suggestions based on the above analysis.
Housing prices are generally determined by real-estate demand, which is affected by the currency policy, economic development, demographics, and industrial structure. A single policy cannot determine housing prices. Therefore, housing market stability must be achieved by a variety of policy mix, including the financial policy (e.g., tax rate, interest rate, loan restrictions) and the housing demand and supply policy. The central policies are interest rate-centered financial and market policies, while tax policies must be administered only after a thorough analysis of its impact on the market, and only on a complementary and restrictive basis. From an enactment perspective, in order to facilitate the proposal of bills, an institutional mechanism must be put in place that allows for the sharing and requesting of information from when the bill is proposed. In order to prevent whimsical proposals for tax cuts, any such proposal must be based on a mandatory review of its relevancy to tax expenditures. In additions, hearing procedures must be flexible enough to reflect opinions from all sectors including relevant social experts. However, what is most important is for lawmakers to engage with sincerity and in good faith, with the awareness that they represent the interest of the people. Housing policies also have the issue of a time lag between its announcement and effectuation. Therefore, in order to stabilize the real estate market in a timely manner, it might be a good idea for lawmakers, after thorough reviewing urgent issues, to assign decision-making rights to government administrators those issues that need to be implemented with urgency, as long as the assignment does not violate the basic rights of the people.
Some recommendations are made in relation to the capital gains tax regime. First, the non-taxation benefits for single home ownership (the "one-house-per-one-household rule") must be eliminated and converted into a form of income deduction similar to the tax credit extended to inherited assets, that are currently applied to inheritance and gift tax. Second, the heavy-taxation schemes against multi-house owners should be abolished. Just as the government had admitted, housing price stability and speculation issues must be resolved in the future by building more houses and administering financing policies that cater to the actual sellers and purchasers of houses. In the meantime, capital gains tax must be reasonable and conform to tax policies and market functions. Third, tax cuts and special benefits must be re-aligned and an implementation of a (special) tax credit for additional income from capital gains where a fixed income deduction (or special deduction) is given. This fixed income deduction (or special deduction) will enable the prediction and monitoring of tax effects and tax expenditures, and prevent high wealth individuals from being the main beneficiaries of the tax benefits. Furthermore, it will greatly simplify the tax code. Tax cuts must be accompanied by a sunset provision, after which the special provision is abolished. After the sunset period, a renewal must be considered based on the assessment of the benefits and necessity for a renewal.