為了方便用家換樓，當局計劃放寬雙倍印花稅（DSD）的豁免安排，持有一項物業的市民樓換樓，退還DSD的期限將由簽訂臨時合約後六個月內出售舊物業，改為簽訂正式買賣合約才計算豁免期，而購買樓花則改由交樓日起計算。
針無兩頭利，樓市辣招雖然有助打擊炒家，同時也難免「誤傷良民」，影響市場正常運作。由於換樓客卻步，一手樓需求驟降，發展商抱持觀望態度，至今待批樓花已經超過六千七百伙。發展商扣起大量新樓不賣，與當局增加房屋供應的願望背道而馳，為了打破僵局，港府放寬DSD豁免安排，既方便用家，增加新樓供應，還可鼓勵換樓客釋出舊樓，增加二手樓供應，促進市場流轉。
一損俱損，樓市陷於一片死寂，對其他行業以至整體經濟的負面影響已開始浮現。有外資銀行預測本港首季經濟表現差於去年第四季，按季更可能錄得零增長，其中一個原因便是辣招令樓市成交大減，不但經紀生意難做，更已波及裝修等相關行業。實際上，面對陰晴不定的經濟前景，當局有必要未雨綢繆，制訂應變之策。
Is the government ready, for better or worse?
The government plans to loosen the arrangement of the Double Stamp Duty （DSD） exemption to accommodate second-home buyers. The DSD waiver period will be extended from the signing of provisional agreement to the signing of formal agreement as the first day of calculation. Buyers are required to sell the old unit within six months. For uncompleted residential properties purchase, the calculation will begin from the date of entering into the possession of property.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. These new measures can deter speculators and affect sales, crippling the real estate market. Second-home buyers step back and the demand for first-hand residential properties drop. Developers are keeping their chins up and withhold 6,700 units of flats intended for presale. This runs counter with the government’s intention to increase housing supply. In order to break the stalemate, the government decides to relax the DSD waiver arrangement, which, on one hand, gives way to buyers and increases the supply of first-hand housing supply; on the other, it encourages old flat sales, increases second-hand properties sales and keeps the money flowing.
As the saying goes, “you injure one and you injure them all.” The sluggishness of the market is having an adverse effect to the economy as a whole. Foreign banks do not expect the Hong Kong economy in the first quarter to perform as well as the fourth quarter last year. A quarterly zero-growth may also be recorded.
The tough measures reducing sales in real estate is one of the reasons. Needless to say the realtors are having a hard time, so are the building decoration and other related industry. Indeed, the government should brace itself and act according to the unpredictable circumstances in the future.
重要生字
you can’t have your cake and eat it too 針無兩頭利
to run counter with… 背道而馳
you injure one and you injure them all 一損俱損
第一手消息請下載on.cc東網
