In this article published in The Australian, Roger discusses
the foreign homebuyer tax that will hasten the price decline as Australia follows in Canada's footsteps.
On April 20, 2016, Victoria city council called on the province of British Columbia to implement a 15 %
foreign homebuyer tax for the region, similar to one installed in Metro Vancouver last year, to curb speculative property purchases by non-residents.
Not exact matches
This begs the question on whether increasing the
foreign buyer
tax from 15 % to 20 % will really deter Chinese
homebuyers from venturing into the Vancouver market.
This is because Chinese
homebuyers have shown a tendency in the past to speed up their plans to purchase overseas properties when new
taxes or restrictions are in the cards, such as in Vancouver and Sydney when new
foreign buyer
taxes were announced.
Industry insiders hold the stress test, which requires borrowers to qualify for a higher mortgage rate than the contractual rate, and provincial
taxes to discourage
foreign homebuyers, responsible for the uncertainty and decline in housing markets.
Provincial government data shows an increase in
foreign homebuyers in the days before the
tax came into effect on Aug. 2, but then a sharp drop in the month that followed.
Last year, the province introduced a 15 per cent
foreign buyers
tax, while the federal government clamped down on mortgage rules, making it more difficult for
homebuyers to secure financing.
Rather than charging a
tax to
foreign nationals, Davidoff said he would have preferred to see a policy that provides
tax breaks to
homebuyers who can demonstrate they're paying local income
taxes.
TORONTO — A
tax intended to calm soaring real estate prices in Vancouver may be difficult to enforce because the
foreign homebuyers it's aimed at may be able to get around it, experts say.
Towards the end of 2016, the BNN reported that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne had made strong indications that Ontario would not be following B.C.'s lead with a
tax on
foreign homebuyers.
Adding to the story this month is a higher loonie, higher mortgage rates,
foreign buyer withdrawal, new
tax on vacant homes, and
homebuyers losing interest.
The move followed the introduction of a
tax on
foreign homebuyers in the Vancouver region last year.
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