Hong Kong introduced new measures in the hope of cooling the city's overheated residential¹ market.

香港近日推出新举措，以期为过热的住宅市场降温。

Starting Nov 5, the stamp duty on every Hong Kong residential property transaction was raised to 15%, except for first-time buyers who are permanent residents of the territory.

自本月5日起，香港住宅物业交易的印花税率全部调高至15%，首次置业的香港永久居民可获豁免。

The levy² for locals purchasing their second residential properties ranged between 4.25% and 8%, while that for overseas buyers has stood at 15% since 2012.

自2012年以来，香港永久居民购买第二套房的税率在4.25%-8%之间，海外买家的税率一直为15%。

The tax rate for overseas buyers now is 30% of the house price.

新政推出后海外买家在港置业需缴纳的税率将达房价的30%。

Louis Chan, chief executive of the residential unit of Centaline Property Agency, sees transaction volumes plunging³ by 60-70% in the next three months, and a 5-8% drop in prices.

中原地产住宅部门的首席执行官陈永杰预计，未来三个月成交量将暴跌60%-70%，价格预计将下跌5%-8%。

"The policy is unlikely to bring a significant adjustment," said Alva To, Hong Kong-based senior managing director at real estate⁴ agency DTZ, who expected there will be a cooling effect only in the secondary market.

香港房地产机构戴德梁行的资深常务董事陶汝鸿表示：“这一政策不太可能带来重大的调整。”他预计只有在二级市场会有一个冷却效果。

"It's a rational measure with a focus on helping⁵ those who are seeking homes for self-consumption, but the effect on the primary market will be mild as developers could offset⁶ additional costs of the stamp duty by offering various incentives," said To.

陶汝鸿说道：“这对侧重帮助那些寻求房屋以供自身消费的人来说是一个合理的措施。但其对一级市场的影响将是温和的，因为开发商可以通过提供各种激励机制来抵消印花税的额外成本。”