British Columbia now taxes housing from several directions at once. The Speculation and Vacancy Tax rose on January 1, 2026 to 1% for Canadian owners and 3% for foreign owners (rising again to 4% in 2027), and a 20% foreign-buyer property transfer tax applies across Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Capital Region, Central Okanagan and Nanaimo.

These taxes were sold as affordability measures. They did not deliver affordability: Greater Vancouver benchmark prices reached record highs in spring 2022, years after every one of these taxes was in force. What they did deliver is a market in deep freeze. Home sales in 2025 were the lowest in 25 years. About 2,500 newly built condos sit unsold in Metro Vancouver, double the year before, and developers warn that projects can no longer be financed, putting construction and trades jobs at risk.

Foreign buyers were never the enemy. Their presale purchases financed the construction of thousands of homes, including rentals, and their money supported local jobs. Other countries are changing course: New Zealand has begun reopening its doors to foreign investors. And with Ottawa's ban on non-Canadian home purchases in place until January 1, 2027, repealing BC's taxes now would cost the province almost nothing, while signalling that British Columbia is open for business the moment the federal ban lapses.

On October 24, 2026, British Columbians voted for change, and the incoming Conservative government was elected on a promise to cut taxes and slash red tape. During the campaign the premier-designate said he would keep these two taxes in place - but the market facts have never been clearer, and a new government deserves a fresh look at them.

We call on Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson and the incoming B.C. Conservative government to repeal the Speculation and Vacancy Tax AND the 20% foreign-buyer tax, and bring investment, construction and jobs back to British Columbia.

取消BC省投机与空置税和20%海外买家税:让投资和工作机会回到BC

BC省正同时从多个方向对住房征税:投机与空置税已于2026年1月1日上调(加拿大业主1%、海外业主3%,2027年海外业主升至4%);20%的海外买家物业转让税覆盖大温、菲沙河谷、首府地区、中奥肯那根和纳奈莫。

这些税当年以'让住房可负担'为名推出,但可负担性并没有到来:在所有这些税都已生效多年之后,大温基准房价仍在2022年春天创下历史最高。它们真正带来的是一个冰封的市场:2025年成交量创25年新低;大温约2,500套新建公寓滞销,比前一年翻倍;开发商警告项目已无法融资,建筑和技工岗位岌岌可危。

海外买家从来不是敌人。他们的楼花认购为成千上万套住房(包括出租房)的建设提供了资金,也养活了本地就业。其他国家已在转向:新西兰已开始重新向海外投资者敞开大门。而联邦对非加拿大人的购房禁令到2027年1月1日才到期。现在取消BC省这两项税,省里几乎不损失任何税收,却能向全世界发出信号:禁令一解除,BC敞开怀抱欢迎投资。

2026年10月24日,BC省民用选票选择了改变,即将上任的保守党政府正是打着减税、砍繁文缛节的旗号当选的。虽然候任省长在竞选辩论中说过会保留这两项税,但市场事实从未如此清楚,新政府理应重新审视这些事实。

我们呼吁候任省长Lorne Doerkson和即将上任的BC保守党政府:废除投机与空置税,同时废除20%海外买家税,让投资、建设和就业机会重回BC省。