B.C.㽶Ƶֱs main opposition party supports the principle of a flipping tax, but wonders whether B.C.㽶Ƶֱs new flipping tax will make a difference.
㽶ƵֱI think it㽶Ƶֱs primarily a political announcement as opposed to an announcement that㽶Ƶֱs going to be effective in lowering the cost of housing,㽶Ƶֱ Karin Kirkpatrick, BC United㽶Ƶֱs shadow minister for housing, childcare, autism and accessibility, said Monday afternoon in the legislature.
Kirkpatrick said BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) has been calling for ways to curb speculation since 2018.
㽶ƵֱSo we are glad to see something, but the devil is in the details on this.㽶Ƶֱ
She expressed among other concerns that the administration of the tax might be difficult and create extra costs, without having a tangible effect.
㽶Ƶֱ(We) already have a federal flipping tax that is meant to modify some of this behaviour,㽶Ƶֱ she said.
Kirkpatrick made those comments after Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon held an announcement in Vancouver.
㽶ƵֱWe need to give folks a leg up in the real estate market if they are looking for a place to live for themselves and their family and that㽶Ƶֱs exactly what the flipping tax does,㽶Ƶֱ Eby said. 㽶ƵֱIf you are buying a property to sell it within two years, you will pay extra tax. That㽶Ƶֱs makes the economics more challenging for flippers and it gives families an advantage over those who are buying homes for the exclusive purpose of selling it again down the road.㽶Ƶֱ
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Projections peg estimated revenues from the tax at around $43 million for the first full year of its existence, with the money going toward affordable housing projects, but Eby said raising money is not the tax㽶Ƶֱs main goal.
㽶ƵֱWe want the revenue from this to be zero, (because) we don㽶Ƶֱt want people to be flipping homes,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱSo if you own a home right now that you are planning on flipping, this is your final warning.
㽶ƵֱThis tax is coming in. Make that home available for someone, who is actually going to live in it. Make it available for a family, make it available for an individual who is looking for their first place to live.㽶Ƶֱ
The tax 㽶Ƶֱ first formally presented in last week㽶Ƶֱs provincial budget 㽶Ƶֱ applies to profits from the sale of residential properties held for less than two years. The rate will be 20 per cent for properties sold within one year of purchase, then decline on a graduated scale before hitting zero after two years.
The tax will kick in on Jan. 1, 2025 with legislation to be tabled this spring, It includes exemptions for life events such as separation or divorce. The addition of another housing unit (like turning a duplex to a triplex, or adding a secondary suite) to the property will also trigger an exemption.
Eby acknowledged that the flipping tax isn㽶Ƶֱt the 㽶Ƶֱfull solution to the housing crisis㽶Ƶֱ, framing it as yet another response to the complex problem of housing.
㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs important to note that every single one of those efforts has been opposed in some way or another by the opposition parties and we are not afraid to say this is an important distinction between us and the other guys for British Columbians,㽶Ƶֱ he said, prior to describing the tax in more detail.
The flipping tax has the support of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.
Art Kaehn, UBCM㽶Ƶֱs vice-president, said the tax will help dampen the speculative aspect of housing demand.