A lot of people have work to do to avoid paying speculation tax

KELOWNA – While more than 80 per cent of affected homeowners have applied to be exempt from the new provincial speculation and vacancy tax, that means about 20 per cent are running out of time to get it done.

Kelowna and West Kelowna homeowners are the only ones in the Interior of B.C. who are subject to the tax.

More than 99 per cent of B.C. residents are exempt from the tax, according to a news release from the Ministry of Finance. In part, that’s due to the fact that only certain cities, mostly in the Lower Mainland, are subject to the tax.

No breakdown was provided on the percentage of affected local residents who have applied.

The declarations have to be made by March 31 or the tax will be imposed. No appeals are allowed if the deadline is missed.

Letters notifying homeowners and providing codes were mailed out earlier this year.

Applications can be made online at www.gov.bc.ca/spectax by phone at 1-833 554-2323 (in Canada and the U.S.) or 604-660-2421 (international) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics

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