Policy Communication and the Effectiveness of Real Estate Transfer Taxation: Lessons from Russia and Singapore for Vietnam
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Dao Cam Thuy*
Nguyen Van Loc
Real estate transfer taxation plays an important role in regulating property markets, limiting speculative activities, and ensuring stable government revenue. However, existing studies mainly focus on tax design, legal frameworks, and fiscal impacts, while the role of policy communication in shaping tax implementation effectiveness remains underexplored. This study examines how policy communication influences the effectiveness of real estate transfer taxation through a comparative analysis of Russia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Using a qualitative policy analysis approach, the study evaluates policy design, communication mechanisms, transparency, and implementation practices in Russia and Singapore, and assesses their relevance for the Vietnamese context. The findings show that policy communication functions as a behavioral regulatory mechanism that improves public understanding of tax objectives, strengthens trust in government institutions, and promotes voluntary tax compliance. The Russian experience highlights the role of transparent transaction registration systems, clearly communicated holding-period rules, and minimum taxable value mechanisms in reducing tax avoidance and improving market transparency. Singapore demonstrates how strong policy signaling through additional buyer’s stamp duties and seller’s stamp duties can discourage speculative investment and stabilize property markets. In contrast, the Vietnamese system remains largely administrative, with limited behavioral communication embedded in tax policy design. Based on these findings, the study proposes a policy communication framework linking tax design, communication processes, taxpayer compliance, and market outcomes, contributing an interdisciplinary perspective that connects taxation research with public governance and policy communication.
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