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A comment on New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses. Parent comment

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by ponyfleisch on Friday October 27, 2017 @03:47AM (#15566449)
You forgot to mention that the HDB scheme in Singapore covers about 80% of the population and the private market is also heavily regulated/taxed and prohibitively expensive. Immigration barriers are high and the immigration system is purely based on the needs of Singapore and not any sort of moral obligation towards the rest of the world. (To be clear: i consider the last part to be a good thing). People who use the term "racist" when discussing immigration policies would have to apply it to Singapore as well.

I also live in Singapore, and the high density here has a severe impact on quality of life (i'm using this term in a very wide sense here). I would never use this as a model for my home country. If anything, living here made me much more aware of the benefits of low population density.

Your 2 undesirable things might not be that undesirable for everyone.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by rorykoehler on Friday October 27, 2017 @05:49AM (#15566958)
If the lower income citizens are taken care of I don't see the issue with heavily regulated/taxed and prohibitively expensive property. It's supply and demand. It couldn't work any other way and it's a much better way to deal with the issue than ridiculous and ineffective knee-jerk blanket bans like in NZ.

Singapore offers a great quality of life. If you don't like it why do you stay here? High density has it's unique characteristics that may be less desirable for certain personalities but if you care about the environment and bio-diversity even in the slightest you would understand that taking a self-centred "I like my garden" approach to housing is absolutely the wrong way to go. This mindset has totally and utterly destroyed Ireland, my home country.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by ponyfleisch on Friday October 27, 2017 @07:24AM (#15567359)
it's certainly not supply and demand if 80% of the market is heavily regulated by the government. nor does it need to be.

i didn't say i don't like it. i said i'm conscious of the consequences of high population density.

this is the first time i'm hearing about ireland being destroyed. do i need to send blankets? potatoes? :)

please cut the hyperbole, it's polarizing and not helpful.

[ Parent | on HN ]