China’s Vice Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Dong Jianguo, stated at a press conference on August 23 that the government is studying the establishment of a system for building inspections, housing pensions, and housing insurance. Currently, 22 cities, including Shanghai, are conducting trials. He stated that, when purchasing a property, homeowners will have already set up a personal account for payment into a public “residential special maintenance fund.” The focus of the trial is for the government to establish such a fund.
Netizens have widely discussed this “Housing Pension System” topic, speculating that the system could be a disguised form of property tax. The official “Construction Magazine” WeChat account of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development published an editorial on August 26 stating that Vice Minister Dong’s original statement regarding the new pilot program mentioned that “the focus of the trial is for the government to establish a public account,” and that this public account does not require contributions from the public.
Mainland Chinese netizens are not convinced, however. Some have questioned why there is a rush to raise additional funds as there is already a “residential special maintenance fund” in place.
Source: Epoch Times, August 24, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/8/26/n14317935.htm