A day after Nanaimo byelection candidates debated the speculation tax, one of the candidates asked the others to join him in opposing the tax collection methods.
Tony Harris drafted a letter Tuesday and asked NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson and Green Party candidate Michele Ney to support his request to Premier John Horgan to reconsider the B次元官网网址渘egative-option billingB次元官网网址� approach to collecting the speculation and vacancy tax.
B次元官网网址淭he governmentB次元官网网址檚 chosen approach to collecting payments is poorly conceived and poses serious risks to homeowners in Nanaimo and other affected regions,B次元官网网址� Harris wrote in a letter he shared on social media.
The B.C. government has sent forms to 1.6 million British Columbians asking that they self-exempt themselves if the tax doesnB次元官网网址檛 apply to them.
Harris, the night before at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, said he felt the government should have used assessment data to take a more targeted approach to speculation tax collection.
He said he B次元官网网址渃ategoricallyB次元官网网址� objects to the speculation and vacancy tax, adding that B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 a regressive tax and then the implementation was botched B次元官网网址� More importantly, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 properly address the solution of supply when we have this pressure of population growth.B次元官网网址�
Sheila Malcolmson, NDP candidate, said the B.C. speculation tax is modelled after one that B次元官网网址渋s workingB次元官网网址� in Vancouver.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a tool thatB次元官网网址檚 worked in other places. It is something that 99 per cent of British Columbians will not payB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Malcolmson said. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e trying to do is make it affordable, make it possible for people to live here.B次元官网网址�
She said the Liberals and Green Party didnB次元官网网址檛 protest speculation tax collection methods in the legislature, and said if the system doesnB次元官网网址檛 work, she would B次元官网网址渁dvocate for a better way to do the paperworkB次元官网网址� should she be elected MLA.
She suggested housing affordability became an B次元官网网址渆mergencyB次元官网网址� under the watch of the B.C. Liberals; Harris replied that B次元官网网址渨hat you wonB次元官网网址檛 get from me is a bunch of laying blame onto what caused what, but what we havenB次元官网网址檛 seen is our local MLA working aggressively with our local civic politicians to solve the supply issue through zoning solutions and thatB次元官网网址檚 really where I believe the answers lie.B次元官网网址�
Ney said the Greens were not supportive of how the NDP rolled out the tax. She said the speculation tax is B次元官网网址渟omewhat palatableB次元官网网址� but not a policy the Green Party would have ever created.
B次元官网网址淲hat I would like to see, as well as the Greens, is to pass this policy on to the municipalities so that they can distribute the levies, decide what exemptions are needed that are specific to the needs of their community, and allow them to be collecting the revenue from this tax and invest it in housing to address the issues and needs of that community,B次元官网网址� she said.
During the discussion, moderator Richard Zussman asked Harris about removing a line from his bio on his company website that stated he enjoys real estate speculation.
Harris said at Departure Bay, which he said has no foreign buyers or speculators, he doesnB次元官网网址檛 own another home or properties heB次元官网网址檚 looking to develop.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always enjoyed speculating about how real estate will evolve in our community,B次元官网网址� Harris said. B次元官网网址淣anaimoB次元官网网址檚 a dynamic town, itB次元官网网址檚 not your typical grid situation with ALR that youB次元官网网址檙e just going to expand into B次元官网网址� So I had written something on my website a number of years ago that said I enjoy speculating about real estate. Now itB次元官网网址檚 a really dirty word. I thought it was insensitive to have it on the website; I removed it. At the end of the day, IB次元官网网址檓 not a speculator.B次元官网网址�
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