He was cited in a resolution passed at the January meeting of the Cabinet. Real estate accounts for 11% of the country’s GDP and, being closely related to many other industries, creates a large number of jobs. But the sector has recently faced difficulties as credit has been tightened and demand has slumped. Many projects have stalled due to a lack of capital. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Construction show that nearly 40% of real estate businesses went bankrupt last year. In the resolution, the PM also tasked the ministry with coming up measures to mitigate the difficulties and report to him before February 15. Last December the PM had once called on banks to cut costs to be able to reduce loan interest rates and foster economic recovery. He instructed the State Bank of Vietnam to get banks to speed up disbursement of loan subsidies. In January interest rates on loans to the property sector ranged from 4.99% to 13%. … [Read more...] about PM orders banks to smooth credit flows to property sector
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Taxing housing necessary but challenging: experts
The government plans to enact a new law on real estate taxation in place of the Law on Agricultural Land Use and the Law on Non-Agricultural Land Use, and separating houses and land for tax purposes. There is currently a very low tax on lands and, unusually for any country, none on houses. The Government is on course to submit the bill to the National Assembly for comments in October 2024 and approval in May 2025. Several experts told VnExpress they agree that taxing houses and lands is necessary in the context that the property market is opaque and plagued by speculation, lack of systematization and ineffective management. Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, said taxing housing and land would help make the real estate market fairer and more transparent. Nguyen Van Duoc, general director of Trong Tin Accounting and Tax Consulting Company, supported an increase in the tax rates on lands but warned it is necessary to safeguard the … [Read more...] about Taxing housing necessary but challenging: experts