Beijing to keep limitations on house purchases

 　　BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Restrictions¹ on housing purchases in this city will continue next year without relaxation² despite expected falls in property prices so far, local officials said on Friday.

　　Even so, a property tax is unlikely to be put into effect for Beijing, they said.

　　This year, the average price of commercial housing units stopped rising in July and so far has been lowered by 6.3 percent below what it had been in the same period last year. Of all of those who bought property in the 11 months of the year, 90 percent were first-time buyers, said an announcement released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

　　"The restrictions worked well this year," said Wang Rongwu, with the commission, at a news conference on Friday morning. "But keeping the property market sound will require prolonged restrictions. Our specific goals for the purchase limits next year are still under discussion."

　　Chen Baocun, deputy secretary-general of the National Real Estate Manager Alliance, said property developers will be able to cope with an extension of the limits.

　　"Developers didn't expect a sudden drop of the purchase restrictions next year," he said. "They are prepared to accept the policies for a longer time."

　　In an attempt at tamping³ down property prices, the central government took time at the country's central economic work conference on Wednesday to encourage more cities to adopt a property tax. Such a tax is already being tried out in Shanghai and Chongqing.

　　Beijing, though, is not likely to look seriously at adopting one, "unless it is otherwise required to by the central government", Wang said.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

3 tamping   

n.填塞物，捣紧v.捣固( tamp的现在分词 )；填充；（用炮泥）封炮眼口；夯实

参考例句：

• The foundation becomes solid after tamping. 打夯以后，地基就瓷实了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Practical construction shows that equal energy, equal deformation tamping a. 等能量、等变形夯扩挤密矸石桩是一种地基加固新技术。 来自互联网