CDU wants subsidy for all young real estate buyers
According to a CDU proposal, young families buying a house or apartment in Lower Saxony should receive half of the land transfer tax refunded. "Owning property is still the best way for most people to provide for their old age - even in Lower Saxony. And we want to support young families in this," said CDU parliamentary group leader Sebastian Lechner to the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung" (HAZ, Monday). The CDU is in opposition in the Lower Saxony state parliament.
The land transfer tax in Lower Saxony currently stands at five percent. For a house worth 400,000 euros, that would be 20,000 euros. The reimbursement from the state would then be 10,000 euros, which according to the CDU should be the maximum amount. The CDU would make 100 million euros available for this in the budget. Members of the red-green government rejected the proposal.
A spokesman for Lower Saxony's Finance Minister Gerald Heere (Greens) said that there were currently no plans to reduce or abolish land transfer taxes. For the local authorities, one third of which benefit from the tax, this is an extremely important source of income. Construction Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) also does not consider the CDU approach to be the right way forward. He referred to the state's social housing subsidies, which only support households that do not exceed set income limits.
The CDU's housing policy proposal in Parliament suggests refunding half of the land transfer tax for young families purchasing properties in Lower Saxony, a move opposed by the red-green government. Despite this rejection, the CDU, being in opposition, has proposed to allocate 100 million euros in their budget for this purpose.
In the ongoing debate about housing policy in Lower Saxony, the CDU and other parties in Parliament have expressed contrasting views on subsidies and the role of land transfer taxes in supporting young homebuyers.
Source: www.dpa.com
