Spec tax fight goes on

Photo: Wayne Moore

The battle against the provincial government's speculation and vacancy tax is not over.

Mayors Doug Findlater in West Kelowna and Colin Basran in Kelowna are being joined by Kelowna West MLA Ben Stewart in the fight to try and defeat the tax.

Stewart spoke on the controversial tax at the Kelowna Senior Citizen's Club 17.

Prior to introduction of the bill Tuesday, Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said he was not a fan of the spec tax. After it was introduced, he said he would go over the bill and suggest some amendments.

Those came down Thursday, including a lowering of the tax to 0.5 per cent from one per cent for all Canadians, and a provision that would allow money collected to remain in the municipality it was collected from.

Stewart says the changes don't go far enough.

"I'm disappointed because Andrew Weaver had been telling people in the construction industry we didn't like the speculation tax," said Stewart. "He's been huffing and puffing all summer... at UBCM he said he didn't like it. We can't count on him as a reliable partner."

But, Stewart said the fight isn't over.

"They're going to bring in amendments when the bill comes to committee stage next week. We're considering whether we should bring forward amendments as well, because we are entitled to do that.

"We are not happy with it. Housing starts in Kelowna are down over 60 per cent, across the province 43 per cent. That's not all just a slowdown in the economy, that's also because of uncertainty."

Both Findlater and Basran had hoped the bill would either be scrapped entirely, or municipalities hit with the tax could choose to opt out.

Stewart said Weaver appeared to want the opt out clause added, but said Carole James and the Ministry of Finance said no.

"Really, they're in a deadlock with the partners in the NDP."