Premier Chen Chien-jen on Thursday received briefings from the National Development Council and Ministry of Finance regarding measures to promote a healthy real estate market. Housing justice is a top priority for this administration, the premier said. The government has promoted its Healthy Real Estate Market Plan since 2020, and allocated NT$16.5 billion (US$528.5 million) to housing issues in the recently passed post-pandemic special budget. Through measures addressing social housing, mortgages, rent and more, the government both improves the quality and eases the financial burden of housing.
The premier also received a Ministry of Finance briefing on a scheme to apply new differential tax rates on housing. The premier said the scheme will review and revise housing tax regulations in order to put more housing on the market, decrease the number of unoccupied properties, facilitate housing justice and better provide for residents' needs. The scheme will apply differential tax rates based on an owner's total number of residential properties nationwide, with a higher housing tax rate on owners of multiple properties that are not all effectively in use.
The premier went on to say that, to assist property renters, the government has invested in social housing construction projects and continues to promote a subleasing and management scheme to increase the supply of social housing units. In addition, the NT$30 billion (US$960.9 million) expanded rent subsidy program, which resumed accepting applications on July 3, has made subsidies available to 18-year-olds and relaxed its criteria for applicable housing.
Regarding home buyers, the government is also lightening their burdens by offering policy-based loans, initiating measures to reduce pressure from rising interest rates, and promoting a program to provide personal housing loan support for households of middle-class incomes and below, the premier said.