Clarifying the expenditure tasks of the National Housing Development Fund
On the afternoon of April 25, the National Assembly Standing Committee gave its opinion on the draft Resolution on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of social housing (NOXH).
Reporting on this content, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh said that the Government proposed to establish a National Housing Development Fund from the state budget and other legal sources according to regulations to support businesses, investment organizations, and create social housing.
Verification of the report, the National Assembly's Legal and Judicial Committee agreed on the establishment of the National Housing Development Fund; At the same time, it is proposed to clarify the legal status and organizational model of the fund to have a basis for the Government to detail; Clarify the fund's spending tasks to ensure the fund's spending tasks do not coincide with the spending tasks of the state budget, ensure tightness, avoid loopholes, losses and waste.
In the draft, the Government also proposes to allow the State to refund or deduct from financial obligations compensation, support and resettlement costs for investors of social housing projects with land use rights or receiving land use rights transfers according to regulations.
The proposed costs to be refunded or deducted include: land use fees; compensation, support and resettlement costs; investment costs for the construction of technical infrastructure and social infrastructure related to the establishment of land funds for social housing development.
Vice Chairman of the Law and Justice Committee Hoang Van Lien said that many opinions did not agree with this proposal and suggested not including the content of returning site clearance costs in the resolution.
These opinions say that cost refunds are essentially an indirect budget expenditure policy with a wide range of impacts.
In the context of limited budget conditions, the refund of costs to investors can create a financial burden for the central and local governments, especially if the number of projects and the scale of refunded costs are not well controlled.
The draft does not have a report assessing the policy impact on necessary financial resources, the ability to balance and allocate budgets to implement this policy.
The inspection agency also emphasized that the policy of cost refunds to social housing investors is a new content, not yet included in the Politburo's conclusion on social housing development policies. Therefore, if this proposal is continued, there needs to be a report asking for guidance from the competent authority.
No expansion of social housing allocation beneficiaries as experts
Regarding other content, the Law and Justice Committee proposes not to expand the subjects allocated for social housing to "experts" to ensure compliance with the policy goal of the Party and State of focusing on developing this type for low-income people.
While experts have had many incentives under new policies on promoting the development of science, technology and innovation.
At the same time, it is recommended to study and supplement regulations on state agencies being allowed to rent social housing to arrange for their civil servants to live in, especially in localities implementing the merger, facilitating the performance of public duties of these subjects.
After discussion, the National Assembly Standing Committee believes that the dossier is eligible to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration according to the shortened procedure, approved immediately at the 9th Session.
The National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh proposed the Drafting Board to receive the opinion of the verification agency and discussion to assess more specific impacts on specific policies, urgently complete the dossier to submit to the National Assembly.
