Toronto plans to redesign botched vacant home tax program [Video]

The City of Toronto is still playing catch-up from last year’s vacant home tax debacle.

The vacant home tax program was created to discourage speculators from keeping empty homes to boost the housing supply in the city. However, about 20 per cent of property owners were unaware they needed to declare occupancy every year, prompting thousands to receive money-owing notices in the mail. In 2023, more than 169,000 complaints were filed, and around 1,100 still need to be reviewed.

• READ MORE: City of Toronto staff knew vacant home tax bills could backfire, emails show

However, city staff has put forward a plan so history doesn’t repeat itself.

“What the people experienced last year was terrible, heartbreaking, it’s scary,” Mayor Olivia Chow said.

The city hopes to improve the vacant home tax and not eliminate it, saying it is crucial in dealing with Toronto’s current housing crisis.

“Every house that we can turn into a lived home just …