Hong Kong slashes stamp obligations, easing residence curbs for the very first time in above 10 several years

Hong Kong slashes stamp obligations, easing residence curbs for the very first time in above 10 several years


Hong Kong Chief Government John Lee provides his once-a-year plan deal with to the Legislative Council on October 25, 2023.

Peter Parks | Afp | Getty Illustrations or photos

Hong Kong will slash buyers’ stamp obligation for house purchasers, and suspend all stamp responsibilities for recently arrived overseas expertise in a slew of measures aimed at bolstering its sluggish real estate sector.

This is the to start with time these cooling steps — in a wide range of a variety of stamp obligations known as “spicy guidelines” — will be peaceful helpful Wednesday. They had been to start with released in 2010 to curb purple-incredibly hot house prices in a very low curiosity amount ecosystem.

“Over the earlier year, desire rates have risen significantly, a variety of economies have revealed moderated development, and transactions of the area household home market have declined along with a downward adjustment of property charges,” Hong Kong Main Govt John Lee reported in his yearly plan address on Wednesday.

Hong Kong’s lukewarm article-Covid economic recovery has been accompanied by sluggish household transactional volumes in the territory’s once notoriously warm residence sector.

Property price ranges in Hong Kong declined four months in a row. The formal housing cost index stood at 339.2 in August, down 7.9% from a yr before and 4.2% decreased from April peaks.

Among the levies calm: the stamp responsibility that non-everlasting residents have to spend for assets and yet another levy imposed on further homes purchases by people will just about every be halved to 7.5 for each cent.

Lee also declared a exclusive stamp obligation that was previously imposed on transactions involving home held for fewer than three a long time will now only utilize to transactions for home held for considerably less than two several years. This levy amounts to 10% of the residence cost.

The suspension of all stamp duties on property buys for new foreign expertise will subject matter to these new residents acquiring long term residency.

— CNBC’s Vivian Kam contributed to this tale.

This is a building story. Be sure to look at back for updates.



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