" though the burden of home mortgage repayments on taxpayers in general is lighter now than when the deduction was introduced in the 1998 99 year of assessment due to the fall in property prices and the drop in mortgage interest rates , we propose to extend the entitlement period for the home loan interest deduction as a relief to all home owners and to ease the heavy financial load still borne by many families 政府发言人说：虽然由于楼价下跌及按揭利率下调，目前一般纳税人在居所楼宇按揭方面的负担，已较课税年度引入扣税优惠时为轻，我们建议延长居所贷款利息支出扣除的期限，为所有置业自住人士提供宽减，以及纾缓不少供楼家庭现时仍然面对的沉重财政负担。
