With the introduction of the provincial budget the APQ makes it a point to draw up an assessment concerning the situation of residential rental buildings.
The 2011 budget was characterized by the notorious absence of fiscal incentives for the owners pushing us to declare that the Government does not seem to be really concerned with the latter and the situation remains alarming. Indeed, Mr. Bachand, the Minister of Finance, declared that the 2012 budget would be austere and in deficit, the new programs and measures which the Government considers expensive will not be carried out. We are rightfully afraid that the owners continue to be part of those left behind by the public authorities.
With keen attention, however, we have re-examined the services and programs of assistance to housing (cf. our December 2011edition) and followed bill 4 on real-estate loans (the Act allowing municipalities to grant a tax credit to certain owners of residential buildings affected by a rise of their value exceeding the average to a significant degree), but the never-ending delays before the Rental Board due to lack of resources, the insufficiency and excessive control of the rates of increase in the rents, the tax increases and quite a few others are real obstacles which the owners must deal with in the day-to-day management of their properties.
We re-iterate our position based on the fact that it is necessary to soften the rules and to adopt other measures of financial assistance, this in order to encourage the owners in their renovation and maintenance work and in the construction of new buildings. The allowances granted to poor customers must take precedence over the subsidies for the construction of social housing which will cause to increase the capacities of payment of those. We believe that it is necessary to invest in the person and not in the stone. It is necessary, in addition, to raise the price of the rents in the Province because the prices of the rents in Quebec are the lowest in Canada and the rates of increase are so ridiculously low that they do not make it possible to the owners to reconcile maintenance of the tenement and profitability.
We have always raised these problems and we will continue to denounce them in our future claims. Do not hesitate to share your opinions and proposals with us.
The 2011 budget was characterized by the notorious absence of fiscal incentives for the owners pushing us to declare that the Government does not seem to be really concerned with the latter and the situation remains alarming. Indeed, Mr. Bachand, the Minister of Finance, declared that the 2012 budget would be austere and in deficit, the new programs and measures which the Government considers expensive will not be carried out. We are rightfully afraid that the owners continue to be part of those left behind by the public authorities.
With keen attention, however, we have re-examined the services and programs of assistance to housing (cf. our December 2011edition) and followed bill 4 on real-estate loans (the Act allowing municipalities to grant a tax credit to certain owners of residential buildings affected by a rise of their value exceeding the average to a significant degree), but the never-ending delays before the Rental Board due to lack of resources, the insufficiency and excessive control of the rates of increase in the rents, the tax increases and quite a few others are real obstacles which the owners must deal with in the day-to-day management of their properties.
We re-iterate our position based on the fact that it is necessary to soften the rules and to adopt other measures of financial assistance, this in order to encourage the owners in their renovation and maintenance work and in the construction of new buildings. The allowances granted to poor customers must take precedence over the subsidies for the construction of social housing which will cause to increase the capacities of payment of those. We believe that it is necessary to invest in the person and not in the stone. It is necessary, in addition, to raise the price of the rents in the Province because the prices of the rents in Quebec are the lowest in Canada and the rates of increase are so ridiculously low that they do not make it possible to the owners to reconcile maintenance of the tenement and profitability.
We have always raised these problems and we will continue to denounce them in our future claims. Do not hesitate to share your opinions and proposals with us.