Gimme Shelter: How High Municipal Housing Charges and Taxes Decrease Housing Supply

​Taxes, Charges Drive up House Prices, Limit Supply

• Taxes and charges on new and existing homes are a key driver of the cost and supply of affordable homes for Canadians.
• Author Benjamin Dachis points to development charges, land transfer taxes, and murky density bonus payments as partial drivers of reduced supply and soaring house prices for would-be buyers.
• Dachis calls on cities and provinces to change their taxes and charges on housing to lower the cost of new housing and increase supply. He proposes four key reforms.