Join TREB"s New Campaign To Repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax

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Join TREB’s New Campaign to Repeal the Toronto Land Transfer Tax

June 5, 2012 -- TREB has launched a renewed campaign to achieve the repeal of the Toronto Land Transfer Tax including a new campaign website, www.LetsGetThisRightToronto.ca.
Your participation in the campaign is crucial and will make a difference! See how to help below.

Take Action

Contact YOUR City Councillor: Go to www.LetsGetThisRightToronto.ca which makes it easy for you to send your Toronto City Councillor an email, fax, letter, or tweet (or all four). Just enter your information and it will automatically look up your councillor and create a message for you. It takes only a minute.
Tell Your Contacts / Clients: Tell as many people as you can about the campaign and get them involved by directing them to www.LetsGetThisRightToronto.ca. You can use the invite function on the site to inform all of your contacts and clients about this issue and how they can help. If you prefer, you can inform your contacts about the campaign now by clicking here (An email with a message including the campaign web address will be opened for you. You only have to insert your contact email addresses).
Be a Part of the Conversation: Use your social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to spread the word about the campaign and start the conversation. Direct people to www.LetsGetThisRightToronto.ca. To be a part of the conversation in Twitter, use the campaign hashtag #TorontoLTT

Why Is TREB Doing This?

One simple, but important, reason: REALTORS® want our City to reach its full potential.

The Toronto Land Transfer Tax is not the right way to build a great city. It creates inequality among Toronto’s residents; it perpetuates irresponsible City budgeting; it threatens jobs; it makes our City less affordable; it makes City Hall less accountable; it hurts our environment; and it makes our roads even busier.

REALTORS® know that Toronto’s greatest strength is the people who choose to make this City their home. TREB is taking action for them. YOU CAN HELP. TAKE ACTION NOW.

What Is TREB Doing?

It is important for Toronto City Council to hear from their constituents on this issue.
TREB will be spreading the word about this campaign to Members and the public and providing them with easy options to get in touch with their City Councillor, and to spread the word. YOU CAN HELP. TAKE ACTION NOW.

Toronto Land Transfer Tax Concerns

The Toronto Land Transfer Tax is a tax on the dream of home ownership. The average person purchasing a home in Toronto faces about $15,000 in land transfer taxes, which has to be paid in full before moving into their new home.
It Makes Toronto Less Fair.In any given year, only about five percent of Torontonians move. It is unfair, and wrong, to expect these people to shoulder so much more burden in taxes than the other 95 percent of Torontonians, for no additional services.
It Makes Our City Services Less Reliable.The revenue it generates goes up AND down with the state of the real estate market. What will the City do if real estate markets suddenly cool and Land Transfer Tax revenue drops sharply and quickly?
It Makes Our City Less Competitive.Toronto is the ONLY City in the entire country, let alone the Greater Toronto Area, to have two land transfer taxes: the Toronto Land Transfer Tax, AND the provincial Land Transfer Tax.
It Risks OUR Economic Vibrancy.Studies have shown that about 40,000 Toronto jobs rely directly on economic activity, like renovations, purchasing furniture, etc, generated when people buy and sell homes . By discouraging people from moving, the Toronto Land Transfer Tax threatens these jobs.
It Makes Our Government Less Accountable. The Toronto Land Transfer Tax reduces City Hall’s accountability to taxpayers because it is hidden in housing transaction closing costs.
It Makes Our City Less Green and Less Livable. Reducing the amount and length of commuting between work and home is a key part of solving our region’s traffic problems. That means helping people to live close to their jobs. The Toronto Land Transfer Tax creates an incentive to live outside of the City, farther from Toronto jobs, where home buyers don’t have to pay a municipal land transfer tax.