Underused Housing Tax Filing Deadline Extended to October 31, 2023
This bulletin supplements our previous bulletin circulated
on February
17, 2023,
and must be read in conjunction with it, as some of the information
contained in the previous bulletin is no longer applicable.
The Underused
Housing Tax Act (the “Act”), which came into effect on
January 1, 2022, implements an annual 1% tax on the value of vacant or
underused residential property in Canada that is directly or indirectly owned
by non-resident, non-Canadian individuals.
The Canada Revenue Agency recently announced that no penalties
or interest will apply if Underused Housing Tax (“UHT”) returns are
filed and payments are made by October 31, 2023. While the deadline for filing a
UHT return for the 2022 taxation year was April 30, 2023, the waiver of
penalties and interest effectively extends the filing deadline to October 31,
2023.
Every owner of residential property who is not an “excluded
owner” under the Act must file an annual return, even if an exemption applies
such that no tax is payable. Owners who must file include trustees of trusts (subject
to certain exceptions) and privately held corporations.
Failing to file a required return will result in a minimum
penalty of $5,000 if the person is an individual or $10,000 if the person is not
an individual.
If you have any questions or would like more information on
the Underused Housing Tax, please contact a member of our Tax Group.
