Dear Editor:
Re: WV to Ask Province for More Control Over Tax Policy, Feb. 21 news story.
Kudos to the District of West Vancouver municipal council for passing their resolution calling on the provincial government to amend legislation to allow municipalities to create additional tax classes so they can each accomplish their own community goals.
According to our organization’s report on an Empty Homes Tax for the North Shore, West Vancouver has a vacant home rate of 9.2 per cent or 1,176 homes based on 2016 census data.
Our Community Housing Action Committee’s position is that homes are for people first.
We await the details of the provincial government’s new tax proposals which will address some but perhaps not all of the empty homes problem. Enabling local municipalities to pursue tax changes that address this problem provides another tool for dealing with our region’s affordable housing crisis.
Murray Mollard, executive director
North Shore Community Resources
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