You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Caribbean-Latin America
Cubans Can Buy and Sell Property, Government Says
2011-11-04
[NY Times] Cuba announced a new property law Thursday that promises to allow citizens and permanent residents to buy and sell real estate -- the most significant market-oriented change yet approved by the government of Raúl Castro, and one that will probably reshape Cuba's cities and conceptions of class.

The new rules go into effect Nov. 10, according to Cuba's state-run newspaper, and while some of the fine print is still being written, the law published on Thursday amounts to a major break from decades of socialist housing. For the first time since the early days of the revolution, buyers and sellers will be allowed to set home prices and move when they want. Transactions of various kinds, including sales, trades and gifts to relatives by Cubans who are emigrating, will no longer be subject to government approval, the new law says.
Posted by:Fred

#9  That's right, Shieldwolf. Cluster up the system even more to make it impossible to determine ownership. Beware property buyers in Cuba, the government may not outlast the stolen property (or their owners) that you bought.

Property rights are the worst and most complex subject in Cuba right now. This is making a powder keg into a minefield.
Posted by: newc   2011-11-04 23:23  

#8  Yeah, this is going to turn into another political headache with the US because of laws on the books in the US about properties seized when the Communists took over. Lots and lots of properties in Cuba will have very muddy titles and there will be lawsuits for decades over this.
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2011-11-04 20:12  

#7  ok, so who owns the property that is being sold?

There are many people whose title has been expropriated by the state. So, who is the seller?
Posted by: rammer   2011-11-04 19:56  

#6  #OccupyHavana!!!!
Posted by: charger   2011-11-04 17:03  

#5  It's called Feudalism. Period. Doesn't have to be an hereditary landed gentry to qualify as feudalism if the King (whether they call Raul that or not) is the one ultimately in control.

Posted by: mom   2011-11-04 16:25  

#4  Malthusianism.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2011-11-04 14:57  

#3  Yah, Fidel and Raul and all their buddies get to be Owners now. The little unconnected people get to be serfs. It's "capitalism," by the people, for the vanguard of the proletariat who get to be the new robber barons. Just like Vietnam (or so I hear) and to a lesser extent China.

We need a better name for this sort of economic system.

Commupitalism?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2011-11-04 11:50  

#2  Big. You can bet on it.

And they can override any deal.
Posted by: Fred   2011-11-04 09:18  

#1  So...what's their cut gonna be?
Posted by: tu3031   2011-11-04 00:26  

00:00