The government scrapped a plan to lower the basic deduction under the comprehensive real estate tax to 900 million won ($657,000) for nonresident single-home owners, deciding to retain it at the current level of 1.2 billion won, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Tuesday. The original measure was intended to tighten property tax rules for homeowners who do not live in their properties, but it faced substantial public opposition. The decision to drop the measure came after leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea called for the government to reconsider it. The changes, however, are still subject to parliamentary approval and could be revised during the legislative process. The finance ministry said the Cabinet approved the final versions of 11 tax-related bills earlier in the day after consultations with relevant ministries. The original reform package, unveiled last month, sought to differentiate the tax treatment of single-home owners based on whether they actually lived in their properties. Under the proposal, the basic deduction would have risen from 1.2 billion won to 1.4