Property tax pilots expected in more cities: report

BEIJING - The government has put increasing pilot cities for property tax trials on the work agenda this year, the China Securities Journal reported Monday.

The upcoming pilot work is expected to mainly levy taxes on homes purchased after the pilot is implemented, while also taking local conditions into account, the journal said.

China's property tax pilot was initiated in January 2011 in Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities.

Shanghai has taxed housing purchases since Jan 28, 2011, with rates of 0.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, while giving an exemption of 60 square meters per capita for every registered household.

The property tax in Chongqing is levied on homes purchased both before and after the pilot scheme was implemented there, at rates of 0.5 and 1.2 percent, respectively. The property tax there especially targets luxury home purchases

Both cities have raised the tax threshold this year as housing prices kept moving higher in most Chinese cities, the report said.

Analysts regard the expansion of the property tax trials as a long-term boon for China's real-estate market, as they expect administrative regulations to weaken afterward.