新西兰女总理上任第一把火:禁止外国人买房
New Zealand is planning to ban foreign buyers from purchasing existing homes in an attempt to tackle a housing crisis by halting a trend among the world’s wealthy to snap up property in the country. The restrictions announced by the prime minister-designate, Jacinda Ardern, are likely to be closely watched by other countries around the world also facing housing shortages and price rises driven by foreign investors. At 37, Ardern has become New Zealand’s youngest leader for 150 years. 先来了解一下这位刚刚宣誓就职的女总理吧。 作为80后的杰辛达•阿德恩是新西兰自1856年以来最年轻的总理,也是新西兰历史上第三位女总理。上月,37岁的新西兰政治新星杰辛达•阿德恩因所率工党在议会选举中失利,一时有成为“政坛流星”之虞。而不到一个月,阿德恩成功逆袭,率议会第二大党与其他小党派谈判组阁成功,当选新一任总理。而这距离她出任工党党首也才两个多月,距离她成为议员不到10年。 今年8月,新西兰大选在即,而作为最大反对党的工党支持率降到了24%,党首安德鲁•利特尔为此黯然辞职。阿德恩临危受命,出任新党首。 阿德恩接任党首第二天,新西兰电视台早间节目的男主播“为难”阿德恩:“总理任期内休产假是否会影响工作?”阿德恩用手指着主持人愤怒反击说,什么时候生孩子,是女性自己的选择,不应成为能够获得工作的预设条件。这次发飙成了阿德恩“圈粉”的起点。阿德恩表示,自己要代表新一代的选民,解决他们迫在眉睫的问题,如上学、买房、环境和儿童贫困等。 在新西兰,阿德恩广为人知的另一面是业余DJ,甚至参与过大型音乐节表演。这些充满个性的特点显然增加了阿德恩的“魅力值”。她的“横空出世”,不仅改变了工党竞选海报的背景色,也改变了选民对这一党派的看法。工党支持率迅速蹿升,甚至在选前一些民调一度超过国家党,掀起了一股“杰辛达热”。 阿德恩刚刚上任就推出了多项楼市调控政策,可见房价在新西兰也成为了一个不容乐观的民生难题。没办法,谁让新西兰被全球的有钱人给看上了呢? New Zealand has become a destination for Chinese, Australian and Asian buyers and has gained a reputation as a bolthole for the world’s wealthy – who view it as a safe haven from a potential nuclear conflict, the rise of terrorism and civil unrest. The country has become a hotspot for wealthy Americans seeking an escape from political upheaval elsewhere, who view it as a stable nation with robust laws and far from potential conflict zones. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and a Facebook board member and donor to Donald Trump’s campaign, is among those to have purchased property in New Zealand. Global financiers have been increasingly snapping up properties in the country. Speaking at the annual gathering of the world’s elite in Davos, Robert Johnson, the president of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, said: “I know hedge-fund managers all over the world who are buying airstrips and farms in places like New Zealand because they think they need a getaway.” Reports by Bloomberg and the New Yorker have suggested dozens of Silicon Valley futurists are secretly preparing for doomsday, acquiring boltholes in the country. Jack Ma, the man behind Alibaba, China’s answer to Amazon and its richest man, is also reported to have shown interest in buying a home there. Land sales to foreign buyers are booming in New Zealand, with 465,863 hectares bought in 2016, an almost sixfold increase on the year before. That is the equivalent to 3.2% of farmland in a country of 4.7 million people. Despite this apparent boom, official statistics show that of the 48,603 property transfers registered by the government in the three months to June, just 3% were buyers with an overseas tax residency. The bulk of those buyers were Chinese mainlanders, followed by Australians. Tax residents of the UK, US and Hong Kong were also among the biggest buyers of property. 根据澳新银行今年2月的估算显示,新西兰的房屋短缺已经达到了6万套,且以40套/每日的速度持续增长。外国买家方面,据当地媒体报道,最先是美国人到新西兰买房,不过近几年,美国买家的风头被中国人盖过了。 Domestic buyers feel they are losing out. Only a quarter of adults in New Zealand own their own home, compared with half in 1991. Soaring house prices have put home ownership out of reach for many. Hundreds of families in Auckland were found last year to be living in cars, garages and even a shipping container. According to research from property agents Knight Frank, New Zealand was the 10th fastest growing country in the world in terms of house prices. Prices increased by 10.4% in the year to the end of June, compared with 2.8% in the UK. In Wellington, the capital, they soared by more than 18% in the same period. A report by the Economist this year showed New Zealand had the most unaffordable house prices in the world, with prices in Auckland climbing 75% in the last four years, although the market has cooled in recent months. The country’s proposed ban on foreign buyers, which would only apply to non-domiciles, comes amid rising support for protectionist policies in developed nations around the world. Trump rode to election victory by pledging more jobs and support for US citizens, while the Brexit vote has been interpreted as a call to prioritise British workers over European migrant labour. The steps announced by Ardern form part of a coalition deal unveiled this week by her Labour party and the minority partners forming her government – the Green party and anti-immigration New Zealand First. It follows a campaign pledge by Labour to crack down on “property speculators”. 在临近就职典礼的几日,阿德恩在多个公开场合表示:“禁止外国投机者的法案将在今年圣诞节以前推出。”就在10月25日,阿德恩对当地媒体表示,和工党联合执政的优先党、绿党,在这项计划上已达成一致,“我们共同的目标和承诺是禁止海外买家购买当地现房。”该政府还计划收紧移民政策。 Speaking after the announcement of the ban on foreign buyers of existing homes, the leader of NZ First, Winston Peters, said: “There’s going to be a change and a clear signal sent internationally that New Zealand is no longer for sale in the way it has been. And we are happy with that.” |