Developers to benefit from capital gains tax
Homebuyers to shift attention to primary market with levy on secondary sales

Mainland developers are expected to benefit from the 20 per cent capital gains tax on second-hand homes, which has been in force since the beginning of this month.
Homebuyers would now tend to turn to the primary market, property consultants said.
With fewer owners willing to offer their units for sale in the secondary market, homebuyers would have to go for new flats, said Albert Lau, the managing director of Savills China.
Lau remained upbeat about the market outlook, saying stable demand for housing would support home prices in the long run.
In the first quarter, 14 developers each took in more than 10 billion yuan (HK$12.5 billion) in property sales, according to SouFun, the mainland's biggest property information website.
China Vanke topped the sales chart with 41 billion yuan, up 42 per cent from last year's first quarter and was followed by China Overseas Land & Investment's 38.3 billion yuan (up 89 per cent) and Poly Real Estate's 31 billion yuan (up 109 per cent).