Recently, the issue of high housing prices has again been hotly debated. Some say that prices should be further regulated, whereas some believe that it is unnecessary.
Housing prices have been brought down to a moderate level, thanks to the central bank raising interest rates for new mortgages. Financial agencies have also tightened credit controls. Today, those who can purchase a house or invest in real estate have to put up more money themselves.
Moreover, the Equalization of Land Rights Act (平均地權條例) has been amended to regulate the sale of pre-sale houses. All these measures have contributed to mitigating housing price hikes. This is a fact that should not be distorted by politics.
As demonstrated by housing market statistics, especially stock prices and surpluses, listed construction companies do not make as much money as before.
Taiwan is a small, densely populated island. If the majority of people only consider Taipei, New Taipei City and some prime areas in southern Taiwan as their choice of housing locations, housing prices will remain as high as they are now. The ongoing accumulation of wealth and inflation would make the prices even higher.
People should recognize the housing price hikes as a result rather than a cause. The only way to solve the problem is to cope with the uneven development in Taiwan and the gap between urban and rural areas. In areas where the housing prices are much lower, the government should fix a variety of issues first, so that people would want to consider buying a house there. Officials must work on increasing career opportunities, improving medical care and living conditions, as well as enhancing the quality of education in rural areas. That way, the concentration of people in only a few cities can be changed.
Consider the three presidential candidates’ viewpoints on this issue. Vice President William Lai (賴清德) proposed “decompression of the capital city” when he was premier. Taiwan People’s Party founder and Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has said that “the countryside should remain as it is.” New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), despite his experience as a landlord, has not proposed a thing.
Huang Wei-ping is a former think tank researcher and a Kaohsiung resident.
Translated by Emma Liu
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS