RESIDENTIAL MARKET
HDB property tax to go up
The property tax for HDB flats will go up between $40 and $50 next year because of rising market rents.
The increment is after a one-off $40 rebate the Government is extending to all owner-occupied flats, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) said yesterday. The rebate is to mitigate the impact of the tax rise on middle- and lower-income households, it added.
Currently, Housing Board flats are taxed at up to 6 per cent of their annual values, which is calculated through what these units would fetch in the rental market.
Market rents of HDB flats have risen by 8per cent to 13per cent since Jan1 - hence, the rise in property tax.
For homes whose annual values exceed $65,000, the tax rate is 6 per cent.
As for those with annual values below $6,000, such as one- and two-room flats, there is no tax.
For flats in-between, the tax rate is 4 per cent.
Three-room flats will see the biggest jump in tax next year. The increase will range between $44 and $51.
This year, owners of such flats paid property tax ranging from $0 to $41. Next year, they will pay tax ranging from $44 to $92, after the rebate is applied.
All other flats will see tax increases ranging from $39 to $51.
After the rebate, the tax four-room flat owners will pay will range from $128 to $176; five-room flat owners, $164 to $212; and executive flat owners, $188 to $236.
As for non-owner-occupied flats, that is, flats which are sub-let, the tax rate is 10 per cent, and they will not be given the $40 rebate, said Iras.
Property tax must be paid by Jan 31, after which a 5 per cent penalty will be imposed. Taxpayers with inquiries may call on 1800-356-8300 or e-mail propertytax@iras.gov.sg
Source: The Straits Times –28 November 2012
More second-time buyers opt for BTO
The last Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise of the year closed yesterday, with 2.7 applications for each HDB flat on offer.
This is slightly higher than the 2.4 overall rate of the previous exercise in September, as more second-timers made a pitch for the homes in five estates.
There were 12.7 applications from these second-timers for each flat, a rise from 11.5 in the previous round.
In contrast, applications from first-timers for the 6,463 flats stayed low, dipping marginally to 1.7 from 1.8 in September.
Analysts told The Straits Times that the higher prices of HDB resale flats may be driving second-timers - a group that includes those upgrading to larger flats - into the BTO market.
Resale prices have been persistently high because they are supported by demand from private property owners who are downgrading, permanent residents and singles who are not eligible for new HDB flats, said ERA Realty key executive officer Eugene Lim.
Mr Lim said that more second-timers prefer flats in mature housing estates over those in new areas.
But it is difficult for them to snag a new BTO flat in these mature estates, so resale flats are the next-best option, said Mr Lim.
Second-timers are allocated 5 per cent of BTO flats in mature estates and 15 per cent in non-mature estates.
Said Mr Lim: "Perhaps this is an opportune time for HDB to tweak the ratio of flats allocated for second-timers, as this may help divert some demand away from the red-hot resale market."
The most sought-after flats are the larger units in the mature estates of Bedok and Toa Payoh.
Six applications were received for each five-room flat available in Fengshan GreenVille in Bedok, and almost five for each four-room Toa Payoh unit.
At the same time, the BTO flats on offer in the new estate of Sengkang proved popular as well.
Nearly six applications were received for each of the 104 three-room Compassvale Mast units.
This was expected since the flats will be next to the Sengkang MRT station, said Mr Lim.
The Housing Board plans to offer at least 20,000 more BTO flats next year.
The large supply of new homes in the pipeline could slow down the demand for resale flats, he added.
Source: The Straits Times –28 November 2012
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