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1. Property tax imbalance erodes political accountability, discourages business investment

   Appeared in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner, October 31, 2019 In many cities and towns across Canada, residential properties are increasing in value, while some local businesses are struggling to survive. There are different reasons for this development ...

2. Property taxes hurting businesses—and communities—in the GTHA

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, October 23, 2019 Ask people about their least favourite taxes and there’s a good chance the property tax will feature in the mix—maybe right at the top. And for good reason. With rapidly rising assessment values in recent years ...

3. Who Bears the Burden of Property Taxes in Canada’s Largest Metropolitan Areas?

   Property taxes are the primary source of revenue for local governments in Canada. The revenues raised are used to pay for a variety of public services including police, schools, fire protection, roads, and sewers. Owners of different classes of property, ...

4. How Ottawa can tackle the housing shortage

   After years of the federal government tinkering with housing demand (the mortgage stress-test, the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive and other stick-and-carrot approaches to how people can purchase homes), it’s clear that housing ...

5. Homebuyer plan unlikely to work, for at least two reasons

   The federal government recently launched its First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, which offers a contribution (up to 10 per cent of the price of a first home) for households earning up to $120,000, in exchange for a stake in the home’s equity ...

6. Help Toronto taxpayers—toll the roads

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, August 14, 2019 Toronto’s municipally-owned highways are known for heavy congestion. So much so that the Don Valley Parkway is frequently referred to as the Don Valley Parking Lot, costing the region between $6 billion and $11 ...

7. After three years of squeezing demand, governments should target housing supply

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, July 30, 2019 Three years ago this month, the British Columbia government dramatically increased the property transfer tax rate paid by foreign nationals and corporations purchasing residential real estate in Metro ...

8. Rent control doesn’t help renters—but building more apartments does

   Over the last 12 months, apartment building completions in Toronto reached a 25-year high. ...

9. Calgary’s overreliance on business tax revenue forces city hall’s hand

   In 2018, Calgary’s non-residential tax rates were almost four times higher than residential rates. ...

10. Ford/Tory row exposes cloudy nature of municipal finances

    Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, June 12, 2019 As part of its broader effort to rein in spending, the Ford government has planned future funding cuts for various local services (Toronto Public Health, paramedic services and children’s services) and cancelled a ...