By Sue-Ann Chia SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

THE property tax of HDB flats is being raised next year partly to avoid having to introduce a bigger increase later should home prices continue to rise, said Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew.

He gave the reason on Sunday when he was asked, at a dialogue with Aljunied-Hougang residents, whether the Government could have delayed it since the recession has just started to ease.

Noting that the adjustment had been delayed once, in 2008, Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui said: 'The problem is the longer you defer it, the larger the increase will be in the property taxes if HDB prices continues to go up.'

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.