NDP pledge to reduce land transfer tax for first-time homebuyers

By: Larry Kusch Posted: 5:58 PM CDT Friday, Aug. 16, 2019

Wab Kinew says an NDP government would make homes cheaper for first-time buyers by reducing land transfer taxes.

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Wab Kinew says an NDP government would make homes cheaper for first-time buyers by reducing land transfer taxes.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/08/2019 (2214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wab Kinew says an NDP government would make homes cheaper for first-time buyers by reducing land transfer taxes.

If his party formed government, Kinew said, he would reduce land transfer fees by $1,000.

For an average home in Winnipeg with a selling price of $310,000, the land transfer tax is $3,920.

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Wab Kinew, leader of the Manitoba NDP, centre, speaks during a press conference in Winnipeg Friday, August 16, 2019. As Ben and Carly Cressman, and their daughters Hannah, 2, and Stella, 3, and Adrien Sala, NDP candidate for St James, listen in, Kinew announced their party will provide funding for new home buyers if they are voted in at the September 10th election. — JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS Wab Kinew, leader of the Manitoba NDP, centre, speaks during a press conference in Winnipeg Friday, August 16, 2019. As Ben and Carly Cressman, and their daughters Hannah, 2, and Stella, 3, and Adrien Sala, NDP candidate for St James, listen in, Kinew announced their party will provide funding for new home buyers if they are voted in at the September 10th election.

“We know that being able to buy your first home is one of the dreams that any family has,” Kinew said.

He said high purchase fees over and above the home’s cost can act as a barrier to first-time buyers.

Kinew estimates the policy initiative would cost about $8 million a year.

Persons with disabilities would qualify for the program even if they were not first-time buyers, he said.

Eligibility criteria for the program would be similar to that used by the federal government for its first-time home buyer programs, Kinew said.

He said those qualifying for the program would see the $1,000 come right off their total costs. They would not have to pay the full tax up front and apply for a rebate later.

Responding to the announcement, the Progressive Conservatives noted the New Democrats increased the tax to one of the highest levels in Canada more than a decade ago.

PC candidate Scott Fielding (Kirkfield Park) said his party would help homeowners and renters by removing the provincial sales tax from home insurance. The move would save the average household $70 a year, according to the Tories.

Fielding also said that a combination of PC tax policies — some already implemented and others promised during the campaign — would save the average Manitoba taxpayer $2,020 over the next four years.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

On the campaign trail

NDP allege Tory wrongdoing

Manitoba New Democrats have complained to the province’s commissioner of elections about a Progressive Conservative ad that briefly shows Brian Pallister in the premier’s office speaking with PC candidates. The NDP says this violates the Election Financing Act because the Tories used the premier’s office for a partisan election advertisement. The NDP noted Pallister’s own campaign director, David McLaughlin, recently retweeted a comment that was critical of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney for using his office as a backdrop for a partisan attack on the Trudeau government.

However, PC candidate Scott Fielding denied Friday that his party did anything wrong. “No government resources were utilized in any manner and all rules were followed,” he said. Fielding noted former NDP cabinet minister Theresa Oswald was found to have contravened the law during the 90-day lead-up up to the 2011 election by using government resources to host a media tour of a new birthing centre.

APTN barred from election event

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs hosted a town hall on Indigenous issues with provincial election candidates Thursday night, about two weeks after formally endorsing the NDP and its leader Wab Kinew. Kinew, Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, Green Party Leader James Beddome, Progressive Conservative candidate Eileen Clarke and Independent candidate Dave Wheeler fielded questions at the event. Some media outlets — including CBC and City News — were allowed in the room to cover the discussion, while an Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) reporter was denied entry.

It appears the AMC never sent an advisory prior to the event to alert media about the town hall, though some news outlets spotted information about the event and watched the livestream on Facebook. Cheryl McKenzie, APTN’s executive director of news and current affairs, told the Free Press their outlet hasn’t been given any reason why their reporter and camera operator were kept out. APTN was the first outlet to report last month on allegations that AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas had inappropriately texted women — allegations Dumas denied — and has stayed on the story with several follow-ups. AMC did not respond to multiple requests for comment Friday.