GST: Change of Use

Change in the Use of Your Property May Trigger GST

This is another complex topic that requires the experience of an accountant. The purpose of this post is to alert the owner that it is time to connect with their Whistler accountant. The author is a real estate agent and not an accountant.

From the Government of Canada’s website, “Changes in the Use of Your Property: When there is a change in use of a property you have, you may be considered to have sold all or part of your property even though you did not actually sell it. The following are some sample situations:

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BC Home Flipping Tax

BC Home Flipping Tax Affects Non-Residents and Residents

As previously announced in British Columbia’s Homes for People plan, the intention of the tax is to discourage short-term holding of property for profit. Note: The BC Home Flipping Tax is separate and distinct from the federal property flipping rules and is not harmonized or administered with the federal or B.C. income tax act.  

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Tourism Whistler (TW) Fees

What are Tourism Whistler (TW) Fees?

If you own a property located in the Benchlands, Whistler Village, or the Whistler Mountain base at Creekside, you will notice on the listing data sheet there are TW fees. To categorize these properties, we say that they are “on Resort Land”. This terminology does not relate to First Nations or Aboriginal Lands. It was a term created by the council of the day back in the eighties and has stuck.

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BC Assessment

The Purpose of BC Assessment

BC Assessment’s business is to provide a stable and predictable base for real property taxation in British Columbia. The corporation determines ownership and tax liability and classifies and values each property in British Columbia. In other words, the BC Government is legally required to know the value of all the properties within the Province. However, it does not directly affect your property taxes.

How Are Properties Assessed?

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