(此文觀點已發表于英文版中國日報China Daily2023年12月11日)
中國房地產業界的狀況,持續地成為社會各方關注熱點,也內含經濟社會“高質量發展”中的難點。2022年4季度之后,針對房地產領域最有影響力的開發商之一恒大所出現的資金鏈危機,以及人們擔心房地產市場上發生“多米諾骨牌”式連鎖反應而情緒惶亂的局面,中央決策層面對于房地產業界的市場運行,推出了一系列可稱為“暖風頻吹”的政策措施,基本取向是在明確認定房地產業是中國國民經濟支柱產業的定性基礎上,結合“六穩”、“六保”等經濟工作要領,引導“企業自救”,同時以政府融資政策注重支持和保障房地產領域剛需與改善性需求的滿足。管控中,逐步化解業已凸顯的房地產市場運行風險,并在“問題導向”下及時推出“保交樓”、降低房貸首付比例與利率等指導方針與細化措施,穩住大盤。隨國內新冠疫情得到總體控制的新局面,2023年進一步配合“擴大內需”支持經濟增速回升,強調房地產調控的“一城一策”而具體化、定制化地推進各地房地產領域回暖過程。
到當下看,雖然還有房地產市場上個別、局部的違約案例等的困擾,但總體的態勢是人心趨穩、運行趨穩,政策“組合拳”效應在合乎邏輯地顯現。住房和城鄉建設部的數據平臺顯示,今年1-10月全國一、二手住房交易量實現正增長,而住房竣工量增長了19.8%,是信心提升、預期改善的表現。下一階段,住房有效供給的支撐力將繼續上升,可望進一步滿足社會需求。與此同時,中央明確給出了中國房地產市場供應關系已發生重大變化的基本判斷;北上廣深一線城市,以“認房不認貸”等新規則放松行政性購房控制;南京、青島等省會城市和中心城市,已紛紛取消限購、限貸等行政控制手段。上述一、二線城市的“風向標”效應,將引導和影響更多三、四線城市的市場回暖。再加上管理當局正以城中村改造、保障房建設與相關房源轉化供給機制的結構優化舉措等的部署,將進一步優化住房供給結構和低中收入階層“住有所居”保障條件。這些使我們可以有充分把握作出前瞻:我國房地產市場這一輪的風險管控將取得決定性的成功。當然,整個局面的向好也并不排除“波浪式”行進特征,而且必然將表現出不同城市、不同區域的差異化。特別是從短期的“穩住”,到中長期的打造房地產業界“健康發展新模式”,還必須依靠相關制度、機制改革創新方面的攻堅克難,以求真正擺脫前面十多年幾輪房地產調控“只治標不治本”的低質循環,形成更好發揮國民經濟支柱產業功能作用的長效機制。
這種房地產業健康發展新模式和長效機制的打造,客觀上要求以“基礎性制度建設”深化配套改革。所涉及的,至少有土地制度、住房雙軌制、商業金融與政策金融配合呼應的制度體系,以及住房在其持有環節的稅制建設這四大方面。我國前些年房地產市場的冷熱交替很容易表現為“大起大落”不良波動,相關的重要原因之一,是地方政府層面在地方稅體系遲遲未能構建成型、而各地領導層在“政績錦標賽”式地方競爭中爭先恐后、需要得到大筆財力支持的情況下,特別看重以轄區土地一級開發環節的“批租”(土地使用權競爭性交易機制)取得可以把資金盡可能“一次性拿足”的結果--以此種機制獲取較充足的財力來貫徹區域發展戰略,支持盡快出政績,是使每一塊地皮實行批租后,將有40-70年時間段不再有任何可能以此機制再取得這種財力,這將覆蓋十幾屆、甚至幾十屆后面的政府行政期,然而,這并不能制約實施土地批租時點上,當地領導者(“關鍵的少數人”)“一次把錢拿足”的沖動——以后各屆的財力如何取得,不是他的關切之所在。由此,很容易形成作為土地所有者的政府方和作為開發商的企業方的“合謀”情境:即政府方愿以招拍掛帶出高價,企業方也順應政府方意愿以高價拿到地段開發權,再以住房建成售出時的高價覆蓋拿地成本——這便是為人們所詬病的“土地財政”短期行為的形成機制,相應地構成房地產市場上極易“地王”頻出、價格沖高、局面大起而后又大落的風險因素積累。由此可知,地方政府“土地財政”依賴性的破解,關鍵在于相關制度機制的改革創新,特別是要借鑒市場經濟的國際經驗,使土地開發形成的住房這樣的消費性不動產,在其持有環節的稅收,于中國從無到有,形成地方政府每一年度都可獲取的相當穩定而帶有大宗規模化特征的財力來源,從而對沖土地批租環節的短期行為動機。并且,這樣可形成房地產市場運行中有利于土地集約利用(會生成更多小戶型需求)和遏制“炒房”行為(持房即有稅負制約)的“壓艙石”效應。這是既以經濟手段的力量平抑市場可能的過大起落,又以穩定可預期的財源建設機制“內生地”促使地方政府職能合理轉變,讓他們更多注重優化本地公共服務、改善投資環境,因為房地產稅的持續征收,需要政府公共品供給的更高水準,并有每隔一段時間可重評稅基的機制,切實地激勵地方政府不斷改善公共服務從而服務于高質量可持續發展。此稅還是促進共同富裕重要的再分配手段。
這方面制度機制建設的攻堅克難,在中國是一個需要克服阻力、循序漸進的改革系統工程。勢在必行的房地產稅制改革,雖在上海、重慶兩地先行試點多年后,管理部門已有擴大試點范圍的規劃,但還需耐心等待可操作時機與基本可行性條件的具備。從全局和長遠考慮,包括房地產稅改革的配套改革大方向,畢竟是明確的和堅定不移的,以長效機制控制房地產市場風險和擺脫地方政府短期行為式土地財政依賴,以現代化財產稅制支持于高質量發展中構建高質量的現代治理體系,將是中國建成現代化強國之路上所必須經受的歷史性考驗。
Real estate sector needs root-cause reforms
By Jia Kang | China Daily | Updated: 2023-12-11
A residential property construction site in Yantai, Shandong province. TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILY
The real estate industry, a pillar of China's economy, has become a focus of attention because it is facing difficulties as the country transitions to innovation-driven high-quality development.
After the China Evergrande Group, one of the biggest names in China's property market, began facing severe financial problems, triggering fears of having a domino effect on the property market, the central authorities introduced an array of policy incentives to help property developers meet the sector's different demands.
But to address the apparent risks to the real estate market and accelerate economic recovery, the government should adopt more tailor-made policies including reducing the percentage of down payment for apartments, lowering the mortgage interest rate and adjusting the eligibility criteria for first-time homebuyers.
In fact, the favorable policies have helped stabilize, to a certain extent, the property market despite some cases of breach of contract. The national transaction volume of both new and secondhand residential properties achieved positive growth from January to September this year, while the completion volume of housing increased by 19.8 percent, which is indicative of improved confidence and expectations.
The central authorities have made it clear that the relationship between demand and supply in the real estate sector has undergone fundamental changes. New mortgage lending-related policies and measures to identify first-home buyers have been adopted in some first-tier cities with the aim of lifting administrative restrictions, while some other big cities have withdrawn property-purchasing and property-loaning limitations.
While these moves will stimulate the real estate market's recovery in more third- and fourth-tier cities, measures such as urban village renovation projects, construction of government-subsidized and affordable housing, and optimized supply-demand mechanisms would further improve the housing sector's structure and ensure low- and middle-income individuals have access to affordable housing. China's risk-control measures in the property sector are therefore likely to be successful.
The real estate sector's recovery, however, will be a wave-like and tortuous process, with different cities and regions facing different problems. Hence, it is necessary to reform more mechanisms by treating the root causes, not just the symptoms, of the socioeconomic diseases, so as to ensure the healthy development of the industry.
For example, it is essential to deepen reform to address the root cause, which includes the land-use rights and land revenue system, the dual housing program, the cooperative system between business finance and policy finance, and the property tax system.
One reason for the real estate sector to go through ups and downs was local governments' focus on the competitive trading mechanism for land-use rights against the backdrop of an imperfect regional tax system. It was very easy for the local governments, as the holders of the land, to "conspire" with real estate developers and sell plots at high prices to the developers. The developers in turn sold the houses at even higher prices to homebuyers to cover the cost of the land. This kind of "land finance" came into being.
The key to addressing the problems caused by the local governments' "land finance" is reforming the related mechanisms by, for instance, levying property tax, which will ensure local governments earn stable and relatively sufficient income annually. This can also boost intensive land use and curb the twists and turns of the real estate sector.
The property tax system could help stabilize the market and provide a steady source of revenue to local governments, which can use the income to optimize public services and improve the investment environment. To levy real estate tax, however, local governments have to provide higher-quality public goods and calculate, between intervals, the tax base, which means the local governments have to improve public services. Besides, levying real estate tax would also help redistribute resources, which in turn will promote common prosperity.
Although the collection of real estate tax has been piloted in Chongqing and Shanghai, the central government needs to gradually expand the pilot areas. It should also make efforts to establish long-term mechanisms to minimize risks to the property market and free local governments of their dependency on land revenue. In other words, the establishment of a modern property tax system would facilitate modern governance and high-quality development.
The author is chief economist of the China Academy of New Supply Side Economics.
賈 康 簡 介
第十一屆、十二屆全國政協委員、第十三屆全國政協參政議政人才庫特聘專家,華夏新供給經濟學研究院創始院長,中國財政科學研究院研究員、博導。曾長期擔任財政部財政科學研究所所長。北京、上海、福建、安徽、甘肅、廣西、西藏等地方政府特聘專家、顧問或咨詢委員,北京大學、中國人民大學、國家行政學院、中央社會主義學院、南開大學、武漢大學、廈門大學、安徽大學等多所高校特聘教授。1988年曾入選亨氏基金項目,到美國匹茲堡大學做訪問學者一年。1995年享受國務院政府特殊津貼。1997年被評為國家百千萬人才工程高品質層次學術交流帶頭人。多次受黨和國家領導同志之邀座談經濟工作。擔任2010年1月8日中央政治局第十八次集體學習“財稅體制改革”專題講解人之一。孫冶方經濟學獎、黃達—蒙代爾經濟學獎和中國軟科學大獎獲得者。國家“十一五”、“十二五”、“十三五”規劃專家委員會委員、國家發改委PPP專家庫專家委員會成員。2013年,主編《新供給:經濟學理論的中國創新》,發起成立“華夏新供給經濟學研究院”和“新供給經濟學50人論壇”(任首任院長、首任秘書長,第二屆理事會期間任首席經濟學家),2015年-2016年與蘇京春合著出版《新供給經濟學》、《供給側改革:新供給簡明讀本》以及《中國的坎:如何跨越“中等收入陷阱”(獲評中國圖書評論學會和央視的“2016年度中國好書”)》,2016年出版的《供給側改革十講》被中組部、新聞出版廣電總局和國家圖書館評為全國精品教材。2017-2020年又撰寫出版《供給側結構性改革理論模型與實踐路徑》、《供給側改革主線上的未來財稅》、《財政學通論》等多部專著。2021年與劉薇合作《雙循環新發展格局》一書又獲評“2021年度中國好書”。根據《中國社會科學評估》公布的2006~2015年我國哲學社會科學6268種學術期刊700余萬篇文獻的大統計分析,賈康先生的發文量(398篇),總被引頻次(4231次)和總下載頻次(204115次)均列第一位,綜合指數3429,遙居第一,是經濟學核心作者中的代表性學者。
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做學問的甘苦,如魚在水,冷暖自知,不足為外人道,但關于做學問的“指導思想”,我愿意在此一披襟懷:寫出一些論文或著作并不是目的,這是探索之途上的一小步,是爭取為人類的思想認識之海中加一滴水。我深信,一切人生的虛榮浮華都是過眼煙云,而真正的學術和真知灼見,才能垂諸久遠。
—— 賈 康
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