TORONTO -- Allegations that the Liberal Party has a so-called 鈥渟ecret plan鈥 to raise the capital gains tax on the sale of principal residences are 鈥100 per cent false,鈥 according to the Liberal candidate targeted in a Conservative attack ad.
The claim
Last Thursday, the Conservative Party alleged in a tweet that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Adam Vaughan, candidate for Toronto鈥檚 Spadina-Fort York riding, have a 鈥渟ecret plan鈥 to tax homeowners 50 per cent on the sale of their home.
鈥淭his is Trudeau鈥檚 hidden agenda: tax hikes to pay for his massive deficits. You work hard, you increase the value of your home, and Liberals take 50%. How is that fair?鈥 , which has since garnered over 1,200 retweets.
Attached to the tweet is a Liberal-branded policy proposal handout dated November 2018.
A highlighted section titled 鈥淐ampaign Platform 2019鈥 reads, 鈥淎nother idea that has emerged from housing town halls is a sliding scale on the Capital Gains Tax on the sale of principal residences. A 50 per cent tax after one year of ownership, 25 per cent after two years, 15 per cent after three years, 10 per cent after four years, 5 per cent after five.鈥
The document continues, 鈥渢he idea would be to hit speculators who quickly flip houses in hot markets.鈥
鈥淭his new homeowner tax would cost Canadians who sell their homes thousands of dollars,鈥 Conservative Deputy Leader Lisa Raitt said
鈥淚n public, Justin Trudeau pretends to want to help homeowners, but behind closed doors, his team is planning to hit them hard with a new tax that will cost them thousands. As usual, Trudeau is not as advertised.鈥
The response
In a statement issued to CTV News.ca via email Monday, Vaughan said there is no plan or proposal to change tax policy on primary residences.
鈥淪cheer鈥檚 claim is 100 per cent false. This is yet another example of the Conservatives misleading Canadians,鈥 Vaughan said in the statement.
Though the document is labelled as a 鈥減olicy proposal,鈥 Vaughan claims the document was a report meant to summarize ideas presented to MPs at consultations and town halls.
鈥淭he document the Conservatives misrepresent and quote was a report to Caucus summarizing ideas presented to various MPs at consultations and town halls. It is not a recommendation, it is not an idea I support, and it is not a policy we will pursue,鈥 he said.
The Liberal Party reiterated Vaughan's statement that the claim is 100 per cent false, noting "it was never a proposal."
When asked about the attack ad on the campaign trail Monday, Scheer deflected questions from CTV News about whether his team would stop making the claim about the capital gains tax, saying Trudeau has 鈥渓ied in the past.鈥
鈥淭his idea was put forward by a handpicked Liberal member of Parliament, someone who is very close to Justin Trudeau,鈥 Scheer said.
鈥淛ustin Trudeau has lost all confidence from the Canadian people to tell the truth. When he says he鈥檚 not going to do something, people just can鈥檛 trust him.鈥
Trudeau unveiled his party鈥檚 housing platform last week, which includes a promise to to help buyers in Canada鈥檚 most expensive markets, including greater Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria regions.
The Liberals鈥 platform also includes plans for a one per cent tax that would be levied annually on properties owned by non-Canadians who don鈥檛 live in the country in a bid to prevent foreign speculation from driving up housing prices.
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