February 18th - 2007

Municipal licensing fees won’t affect REALTORS®

New revenue-generating powers granted to municipalities through taxation and licensing measures will not adversely affect the viability of REALTOR® businesses, thanks to efforts of OREA and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

New revenue-generating powers granted to municipalities through taxation and licensing measures will not adversely affect the viability of REALTOR® businesses, thanks to efforts of OREA and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).
 
The City of Toronto Act and the Municipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006, both proclaimed on January 1, recognize municipalities as responsible, accountable governments. The Ontario government says “the broader powers enable municipalities to better determine the appropriate mechanism for delivering municipal services.”
 
Toronto, for example, now has broader powers to licence and regulate businesses, and more flexibility to raise revenue in addition to property tax.
 
Municipalities, however, will not be able to impose business licensing fees on REALTORS® or brokers, as OREA and TREB have ensured an exemption.
 
This is a third go around for this battle, and a third win. In the late 1990s OREA obtained an exemption from municipal licensing fees through a regulation under the Municipal Act. OREA fought for the exemption to be continued in 2001 when the Municipal Act was amended.
 
This current victory is the culmination of over two years of work by OREA and its network of political action committees and, in particular, the Toronto Real Estate Board, who mounted a very sophisticated and effective lobby effort to ensure its members would continue to be exempt under the new City of Toronto Act.
 
To find out more about the City of Toronto Act or the Municipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006 go to http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/ and click on news room.
 
For more background on OREA’s work on this, search under the government relations section, under OREA issue summaries, on the members’ only section of www.orea.com.

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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