Portal for Vacant Unit Tax declarations opening early
The City of Ottawa is opening its Vacant Unit Tax (VUT) declaration portal earlier than anticipated.
In a memo sent to Ottawa City Council on Dec. 13, Cyril Rogers, the interim general manager and chief
financial officer with the City’s finance and corporate services department, said the portal for Ottawa residents to declare their vacant units will open on Thursday, Dec. 14.
No specific time was given.
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In the memo, Roger stated that more improvements, as directed by council back in August of this year when councillors approved to continue the VUT, are coming in January of 2024, including:
More improvements will be introduced in January, including:
- the ability to submit a declaration in-person at a client service center
- an updated guide and fact sheet which will be distributed to residents
- more in-person declaration opportunities
- a new video promoting the purpose and benefits of the VUT.
The memo said that City of Ottawa staff have been analyzing the VUT data, and have made several enhancements to the online declaration form including:
- adjusting the order of questions to reduce declaration errors
- the elimination of drop down menus
- using more user-friendly questions
- improving My ServiceOttawa integration
The deadline to declare is March 21, 2024.
The City has stated that the intention of the residential Vacant Unit Tax is to encourage homeowners to maintain, occupy or rent their properties and to increase the housing supply.
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This is one of the ways the City of Ottawa is addressing the affordable housing crisis in the city and the revenue from this tax will be used to support affordable housing initiatives.
