With so many property markets struggling with the credit crunch, various governments are battling away to try to restore some lost ground. In Britain this has come in the form of the Bank of England's £50 billion bond issue to try to create more liquidity in the mortgages market and bring down interbank lending rates. In Spain, the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this month, the government has sought to attract more investors by cutting capital gains tax.
In France, all the measures seem to have been introduced already and for different reasons. Moves such as allowing mortgage payments to be offset against income tax are part of the declared aim Mr Sarkozy made to turn France into a nation of homeowners rather than renters.
