Places like British Columbia have had vacant real estate taxes for a few years now. Will the vacant home tax achieve its goal of reducing real estate prices? Where has the tax been sued before, and what were its results? This article will analyze the various proposals for vacant home taxes and look at places like BC, which have instituted such a tax to see how effective they can be.

Friendly reminder: Please speak to an accountant or tax professional when dealing with any potential taxes (be it on your property or personal income). This article provides information about taxes – not tax advice.

How do the proposed Vacant Home Taxes Differ?

Income taxes are prevalent worldwide at Federal, Provincial and State levels. Of course, the specific income tax in different regions varies in what percentage of income is taxed, and vacant home taxes can vary in the same way. On top of what percentage is taxed off the value of an empty home, how that tax is enforced can differ in numerous ways.

Peel’s proposed vacant home tax responds to an estimated 13 000 vacant units across the region. The tax, developed with the help of Ernst and Yonge, has the goal of encouraging owners to either sell vacant houses or rent them. Owners would have to report if a property is vacant, and if vacant, the municipalities of Peele would collect the vacant tax with property taxes. A 1% tax would net about $16.4 million a year, with the cost of administering the tax being $5 million annually.

The region of Peel is currently still in the process of collecting public consultations about their inputs on the level of public support, public policy implications, potential effectiveness of the tax in terms of increasing the supply of affordable housing, its impact on affordability, and privacy-related concerns. The results of the consultations will help them determine next steps and program design options of the implementation.

The Toronto vacant home tax follows a similar structure to the proposed one of Peele. The onus is on property owners to declare if a home is vacant each year, and the city will investigate possible homes suspected to be vacant. While the proposed Peele Region tax is still being developed, the Toronto vacant home tax seems to have more devices to tackle homeowners with vacant homes that have not declared their residences as such. On top of being subject to the tax, the city may subject non-declaring owners to various penalties and fines. Toronto’s tax is set at 1% and is predicted to raise $55 to $66 million for the city.

Overall, the much-discussed vacant home taxes in Ontario follow a similar structure of self-declaration and enforcement through auditing. The difference in Ontario’s jurisdictions is how much the tax is (with Peel considering a tax of 1-3%) and, as shown through Toronto, how they plan to reprimand homeowners who do not declare their vacant homes.

What is the Toronto Vacant Home Tax Declaration in Toronto?

Property owners in Toronto must annually now declare the occupancy status of the properties they own, even if they are currently living in the property.

This declaration  will determine if the Vacant Home Tax will apply and needs to be paid.

The Vacant Home Tax is 1% of the Current Value Assessment (CVA) and applies to Toronto homes declared, deemed, or found vacant for over 6 months in the previous year. The tax is based on the property’s occupancy status in the previous year.

To declare, you’ll need your 21-digit assessment roll number and customer number from your property tax bill or statement. Declarations can be made through the City’s online portal or via a paper form. Incomplete paper forms will not be accepted. Owners of unoccupied properties may be subject to an audit.

Corrections to declarations can be made before the February 2 deadline or by filing a Notice of Complaint after the deadline. Failure to declare or making a false declaration may result in a fine of $250 to $10,000.

Some Exemptions exist where a property can be left vacant and the tax does not need to be paid:

Source: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/vacant-home-tax/

What was the effect of British Columbia’s vacant home tax?

BC’s vacant home tax (the “Speculation and vacancy tax”) turned three years old at the end of 2020. Like the goals of the proposed vacant home taxes in Ontario, BC implemented the tax to increase the affordability of real estate. Owners must declare if their home is vacant, and if vacant, the relevant tax rates apply.

The BC model differs from many of the proposed models in Ontario because the rate depends on one’s citizenship. After 2019, the tax rate stayed at 0.5% from its 2018 level for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are not part of a satellite family. However, if you are a foreign homeowner or a satellite family, your tax rate will be 2% off the value of your home.

Vancouver’s empty home tax has a similar structure of administration (declaring, audits, etc.) but increased to a tax rate of 5% in 2023 compared to 3% in 2021-2022. However, Vancouver and BC’s taxes are, of course, different – theoretically, someone could be exempt for both or have to pay both when the taxman comes knocking. Hence, a Canadian citizen may have to pay Vancouver’s 5% tax and BC’s 0.5% tax for their empty home. If Ontario were to implement a vacant home tax on a provincial level, it would likely interact with the taxes of its municipalities like Toronto similarly.

In terms of effect, both taxes use their revenue to invest in housing initiatives, on top of their intended effect to deter empty houses. For the fiscal year 2020, BC raised $81 million for affordable housing programs. However, Vancouver and BC at large still remain seller’s markets – BC housing prices are still unaffordable for many people. So, evaluating the effectiveness of the taxes becomes a bit of a chicken or the egg situation – is the tax ineffective? Or would prices have increased even more without their implementation? One of the tax goals, to stop houses from being vacant, seems to be effective, with rental units increasing in metro Vancouver.

The city of Toronto is estimating the tax will bring 66 million in revenue per year, which will be used to create affordable housing.

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