Abuse of Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty by Joint Owners of HDB Flats

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development since the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) was introduced, how many joint owners of HDB flats have been found to have falsely filed for divorce to decouple their property to avoid paying the ABSD on the purchase of a second property.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Court has to be satisfied that there are valid statutory grounds before granting a divorce.

No Housing Development Board (HDB) flat owners have been found to have falsely filed for divorce to decouple their HDB flat ownership for the purpose of avoiding payment of the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty on the next property purchase.