Hong Kong’s new anti-foreigner property tax may catch on elsewhere. Battling the effects of cheap money and capital flight, the territory’s authorities have slapped a 15-per-cent stamp duty on buyers without a permanent resident’s card. Though the move will have unintended side effects, its political logic could prove appealing in other urban hot spots.
The new special stamp duty is aimed squarely at the other driver of Hong Kong property inflation: Chinese buyers. Investors from the mainland seeking a safer place to park spare cash have become an increasing feature in recent years. In 2008, non-residents bought one in 17 of Hong Kong’s newly-built properties. Last year, they snapped up one in five. Full story
Related:
Housing Minister Khaw remains nonchalant as public housing prices record new high in Q3
