A recent tweet from the mayor’s office caught my eye

.@Cityofvancouver data shows 95% of EHT declarations were made from Canada, 2% from US, 3% from other countries (reflects where the property owner was located at the time they made their declaration and does not necessarily reflect their primary residence) #vanpoli— Van Mayor’s Office (@VanMayorsOffice) May 27, 2018

I’d be interested in seeing complete dataset. If EHT is not tracking primary residence but location at time of declaration, and declarations can be made by a proxy — are we tracking local owners, or local realtors/lawyers?

Regardless of where EHTaxed speculation capital may or may not be coming from, proxy or otherwise —a hallmark of Vision’s ten-year regime has been these kind of opaque, manufacturing consent PR moves. Show us the data not the spin.

Despite headlines like Friday’s in the Vancourier (City releases latest data on Empty Homes Tax) I’ve searched and yet to find actual data, just curated media release.

This coming election is increasingly about electing a new City government that puts public interest first, working together to tackle the serious issues we face as a city — and that can only be predicated by real and honest transparency. Show us the data.

Want to avoid Vancouver’s Empty Home Tax?
Find the right strata.

The extended empty home reporting deadline is approaching.
There’s been plenty of advertising. But did you know EHT specifically exempts condos where strata rules restrict rentals?

That’s a pretty big loophole.
http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/empty-homes-tax-frequently…

The City’s own report on the EHT surveying empty homeowners found that 22% of them cited strata rental restrictions as the reason for not renting out their non-owner occupied homes. http://council.vancouver.ca/20170628/documents/pspc6.pdf

Empty strata-restricted condos are not an insignificant per cent of our housing stock. A 2009 City-commissioned study found more than 60% of strata corporations restricted or prohibited rentals. http://vancouver.ca/docs/policy/housing-role-rented-condo-stock.pdf

In a city with detached home sales slowing and record growth in non-resident owned condos (in 2017 reported over 20% of new condos); even with new provincial measures, will the EHT meet the objective of having homes people live in?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-non-residents-s…

Postscript: 

Originally posted on Facebook

A follow up question asked “What do you think of the fact that stratas are even allowed to restrict rentals?”

My response: Ultimately that’s a governance decision up to the individual strata. HOWEVER, I’m leaning toward the idea that “corporate personhood” needs to be applied here. If a strata corporation chooses to prohibit/restrict rentals then they should pay the EHT as a strata (as opposed to the individual owner alone).

Strata are considered corporations under the Strata Act. Thus things like banking and borrowing to finance repairs or leaky condos are tied to that legal designation.

Further, property rights and quiet enjoyment thereof (even as a strata) are a pretty big nut to crack with loads of resistance and unintended consequences (what with them being the foundation of our capitalist western democracy and all). To my mind, applying a usury fee or taxation seems a lot more reasonable and actionable.

Vancouver City Council proposes province tax property flippers… But NPA voted against.

ICYMI, as the BC Budget was being delivered, the rest of Vancouver City Council passed Adriane Carr’s “Call for Bold Provincial Actions to Tackle Housing Affordability.”

The motion to address impacts of global capital, speculators & property flipping reflects a long standing intent of both the Vancouver and BC Greens to address some of the more egregious forces effecting housing demand and affordability.
The original motion is here: http://council.vancouver.ca/20180220/documents/motionb3.pdf

Specifically the entire NPA council caucus voted against items:
a.) restrictions on foreign purchases, and
c.) taxing flippers.
You can watch the debate and final amendments to the motion online starting around 04:50:00. http://civic.neulion.com/cityofvancouver/index.php?clipid=3495786,000

Postscript: Posted in response to: https://globalnews.ca/news/4040242/vancouver-city-council-passes-motion-…