![President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a work report by public institutions and related agencies at the Blue House State Guest House on April 17. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/04/24/20260424152836774758.jpg)
The Blue House said Thursday that the government is discussing whether to apply a long-term capital gains deduction to nonresident single-homeowners, but that nothing has been decided.
A Blue House official told reporters at the Chunchugwan press briefing room that officials are hearing a range of views and that more discussion is needed.
The long-term holding special deduction reduces capital gains tax by up to 40% based on how long a property is held and up to 40% based on how long the owner has lived in it, for a combined maximum deduction of 80%.
Earlier Thursday, Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that to protect single-homeowners, tax relief tied to actual residence is necessary. But he argued that cutting capital gains taxes on expensive homes simply because they were held for a long time as investments, without the owner living there, is not a housing protection policy but a policy that encourages speculation.
His remarks were widely read as signaling an intent to overhaul the tax system by reducing breaks for nonresident single-homeowners while expanding deductions tied to holding periods for those who live in their homes.
The Blue House official said the president’s message was “at the level of principles,” stressing that one-home households should be treated more favorably than multi-homeowners, and that even among one-home households, investment-driven nonresidence should be distinguished from owner-occupied housing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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