주택 부문 양도소득세 개편을 위한 제언

주택 양도소득세 개편 방향을 하익-사이먼스 소득 개념에 근거해 제안한다.

This paper suggests a reform for capital gains tax from housing based on Haig-Simons definition of income. According to Haig-Simons definition, capital gains from housing should be taxed regardless of its realization. However, the taxation at the time of its realization is taken as grated due to the consideration of cash flow at the time of tax payment and the difficulty of evaluating the market value of houses. The postponement of taxation is also applied to owner-occupied houses because the taxation may hinder freedom to move. Combining other concerns, this paper proposes the following reforms.

First, the total realized income is divided by the duration of the ownership and combined with other income and taxed accordingly. This method should replace the current income deduction for long-term ownership. Second, any tax benefit for a house per household including tax exemption should be abolished. For owner-occupied houses, taxation for any income used to purchase the next dwelling house will be postponed to guarantee the free movement. Third, capital gains tax is imposed when the ownership is transferred as gift or estate. The time of transfer as gift or estate will be a natural limit of the postponement of taxation for owner-occupied houses.

This reform proposal may not sufficiently consider the equal treatment between capital gains from housing and from other assets or the possibility of tax avoidance through the establishment of real estate corporations. However, it will provide a goal of reform effort in the long run.