Homeowners rally against NDP school-tax surcharge
‘They’re sticking it to some people who are easy to attack,’ says one opponent
Homeowners opposed to the NDP school tax surcharge once again held a rally before a town hall organized by Vancouver-Point Grey MLA David Eby on Monday.
Speakers at the rally denounced the surcharge, dubbed by some as a “family home tax” and directed their ire at Eby, whose riding is home to many single-detached houses worth more than the $3-million threshold of the additional tax.
One of them is Ron Pears, who has lived in the University Endowment Lands for 30 years. He had voted for the NDP and supported Eby, but now feels blindsided by the surcharge, which doubles the property taxes he has already been deferring.
“It adds $18,000 a year to my tax bill that I already can’t afford to pay,” he said. “It’s disastrous.”
The “severe and unjustified” tax will affect every one of the 445 single-family homes in the UEL, said Pears. “I ... feel betrayed.”
The school-tax surcharge, which will take effect next year, adds a 0.2 per cent tax on the value of a home assessed between $3 million and $4 million, and 0.4 per cent on the value assessed above $4 million.
It’s one of a number of tax measures the NDP introduced in the 2018 budget to curb housing prices, prompting a backlash from people hit by the new levies.
The school tax, as well as the new speculation tax, are “dumb taxes and clumsy,” said Pears. “They’re sticking it to some people who are easy to attack.”
Lana Pulver, a Dunbar resident, called the additional tax a “cash grab.”
Like many attending the rally at Quilchena Park, she doesn’t believe deferment is a solution. She isn’t eligible for the deferment, she said. But even if she was, she questioned why the onus should be on homeowners to increase their debt load.
“We work hard to pay down our debt,” said Pulver. “It’s ridiculous and shameful to suggest to defer the tax and add it to our bill payable upon sale or death.”
Mike Jagger said he is concerned about affordability — a sentiment echoed by many in the crowd — but the tax doesn’t address the issues.
“This is about implementing the first wealth tax in North America,” said Jagger.
“Taxing unrealized equity is simply wrong ... it’s just a flat tax on perceived wealth. That’s not just wrong for $3-million homes. It’s wrong everywhere.”
The rally preceded a town hall organized by Eby at the Hellenic Centre. The town hall was originally scheduled at a smaller venue May 1, but was scuttled at the last minute due to security concerns.
One of the speakers, Simon Fraser University Prof. Rhys Kesselman, defended the notion of the school-tax hike, saying homeowners have enjoyed huge gains in the value of their homes “mostly due to good fortune.”
He said complaints over the deferral option, which applies to seniors and homeowners with school-age children, are overblown.