One week left for Vancouver homeowners to make Empty Homes Tax declaration
The City of Vancouver is reminding homeowners they only have one week left to make their annual Empty Homes Tax declaration.
Homeowners who miss the Feb. 2 deadline face a $250 fine, and those who fail to declare at all will have their property deemed vacant, officials warned.
The city said 79 per cent of homeowners had already submitted their declarations as of Jan. 25, but that still leaves upwards of 40,000 outstanding.
The Empty Homes Tax does not apply to principal residences or homes that are rented out for at least half the year. There are also a number of exemptions allowed, including for some plots of vacant land and some homes that are undergoing major renovations or construction.
Homeowners whose properties are determined to be vacant and subject to the tax are now dinged three per cent of the assessed 2021 taxable value. City council voted to increase the rate from 1.5 per cent in November 2020.
A report released that fall by the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation found more than 11,000 condos were added to the Metro Vancouver rental market in 2019, an increase that was attributed in part to the tax.
Declarations can be made online, and homeowners can call the city at 311 for help.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.