The Editor,
Re. “Ashamed of tax rule” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Aug. 3).
Open letter to Premier Christy Clark, Minister of Finance Mike de Jong and Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth:
Regarding the tax on foreign home buyers, my main complaint is that you didn’t impose a tax long ago. A friend of mine who has been a realtor since 1979 says something should have been done 25 years ago.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the purpose of a house was to provide a place to live, especially for people who are citizens of the country where the house is located. A house should not be a piece of property whose main purpose is as an investment.
Because of foreign buyers, our own citizens are finding it unaffordable to live here. Who is our top priority, taxpaying Canadian citizens or foreigners?
I’m afraid I have no sympathy for foreign buyers, as the letter writer Trevor Street does. These foreign buyers have a place to live far away and probably have millions of dollars at their disposal.
Yes, I know that some realtors are angry because the new tax could affect their bottom line. But I prefer to see housing prices at a more affordable level rather than having realtors becoming richer at the expense of their countrymen. It is a downright shame that young people here might never be able to afford to own a home, mostly due to foreign buyers.
In my opinion, foreigners should not be allowed to buy homes here — period. If they want to make money, let them invest in the stock market or something else that doesn’t inflict pain upon others by putting the price of a home out of reach.
L. Mackintosh, Coquitlam
