Politicians should leave the current mortgage interest tax break system intact because of the difficult position facing the housing market, central bank board member Lex Hoogduin said on Thursday.

Ten years ago, the central bank called for the tax break to be phased out.
Hoogduin made the comments during the presentation of the bank’s annual report. The tax break, one of the most generous in Europe, costs the treasury some €11bn a year.
Election issue
‘If you ask me if this is the right moment to attack this tax break, then my answer is a resounding no,’ Hoogduin is quoted as saying in the Financieele Dagblad.
And if politicians are determined to press ahead with reform, they should wait until the housing market is healthier and take a long transition period, he said.
The left-wing greens GroenLinks and the Liberal democrats D66 have already included phasing out mortgage tax relief in their election manifestos.
To watch the entire news conference, click here
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