The Government of Canada implemented the Underused Housing Tax (UHT) on June 9, 2022, which impacts certain residential property owners as of December 31, 2022.
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (except in capacity as a partner or trustee*), no action is required on your part. Anyone else that owns residential property, including Canadian individuals that own the property as a partner or trustee*, may be an affected owner.
*You may be considered to hold property as a trustee if you are listed on legal title, in trust for another taxpayer. Examples include, but are not limited to:
If you are an affected owner, you will be required to file a UHT return. There are several exemptions available, so a filing requirement does not necessarily mean you will have to pay UHT.
However, failure to file a UHT has significant penalties, starting at $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for corporations. In addition, failure to file could lead to the UHT being payable, even if an exemption should have applied.
For more information, please refer to our Underused Housing Tax – Detailed article.