> The idea of a vacancy tax seems hard to apply while respecting people privacy. There is support growing in Vancouver for a surtax based on property value tha

> The idea of a vacancy tax seems hard to apply while respecting people privacy. There is support growing in Vancouver for a surtax based on property value that would be offset by income taxes, and wouldn't apply to those who are retired or on disability [1]. This would be collected from both foreigners who are underreporting their income as well as the idle rich, while also putting additional pressure on those leaving homes vacant to rent. The idea is to renew the social contract, so that those who are working and contributing to the economy can enjoy the benefits of reasonably affordable housing. [1] http://www.housingaffordability.org/faqs.html http://www.housingaffordability.org/faqs.html