LangfordB次元官网网址檚 mayor says he will continue to fight the speculation tax, even after claiming he was threatened by an economist working for the province over it.
Stew Young said itB次元官网网址檚 no secret he is opposed to the tax. He said many jobs in Langford rely on the building industry and that since the speculation tax has been brought up, the city has seen a slow down in investments and projects.
After receiving several letters from concerned community members about the speculation tax last year, Young said he went to the province to discuss exempting Langford from the it. He said he had a meeting with Rob Gillezeau, a University of Victoria economist working for the province.
B次元官网网址淚 went down there and I said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 concerned about jobsB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� Young said. B次元官网网址淚 said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e got a whole bunch of letters that IB次元官网网址檓 getting from peopleB次元官网网址nd theyB次元官网网址檙e leaving LangfordB次元官网网址 have to respond to all of these people and put it on the council agendaB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�
Young said he told Gillezeau if the province was going to exempt Langford from the tax, he wouldnB次元官网网址檛 address the letters in the council meeting. That is when Young said he was threatened.
B次元官网网址淗e starts rolling his pen, leans back in his chair and says to me, B次元官网网址榠f you go public with this, go against the government, against this speculation tax, you will never get out of the speculation taxB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� Young said.
After the exchange, Young said he told Gillezeau that they would agree to disagree and left.
Blake MacKenzie, an owner of EMR Vacation Rentals Inc. and vice president of NorthWest Vacation Rental Professionals, said he was at the meeting with Young and Gillezeau and was able to confirm YoungB次元官网网址檚 accounts. MacKenzie said GillezeauB次元官网网址檚 comments were a B次元官网网址渄irect threat.B次元官网网址�
The Goldstream B次元官网网址 Gazette reached out to the PremierB次元官网网址檚 Office and in an e-mail response, a spokesperson said the Office B次元官网网址渓ooked into the matter raised by the mayor and are confident that all government staff conducted themselves professionally.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭here was not an exchange like the one the mayor described,B次元官网网址� the e-mail reads. B次元官网网址淟angford was always included in the Speculation Tax region because it experiences serious housing challenges and very low vacancy rates.B次元官网网址�
Despite YoungB次元官网网址檚 opposition to the tax and backlash from community members, the tax is still going to affect Langford.
Homeowners will be able to apply to opt out of the tax and will be receiving instructions in the mail from the province on how to do so.
According to the province, the speculation tax is supposed to target foreign and domestic speculators who own residences in B.C. but donB次元官网网址檛 pay taxes in the province.
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com
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