Whatever happened to the “speculation tax”? (Mainlander, T. Markle, 15-May-2011)

(Tristan Markle, The Mainlander, 15-May-2011). This week, Taiwan implemented a “luxury tax” on housing properties lying dormant due to speculation (as reported by the BBC). This begs the question: why not take action in Vancouver, where the affordability crisis is similarly severe? During his 2008 campaign, Gregor Robertson proposed such a “empty condo tax” to get more housing onto the market and cool-down prices… Full article is here.  Bullet points are below.