Residents grapple with cumbersome vacant tax audit
CTV
Just as the Vacant Unit Tax portal opens for residents to declare they live in their own homes, some residents were stunned to get a letter in the mail from the city telling them they have been audited.
Just as the Vacant Unit Tax portal opens for residents to declare they live in their own homes, some residents were stunned to get a letter in the mail from the city telling them they have been audited.
The City of Ottawa says it has audited 1,525 properties through the Vacant Unit Tax by-law, with more residences being subject to a review in the coming months.
Julie Provost’s mother, a 94-year-old woman living in Ottawa, is being audited as part of the bylaw.
"She received a letter so she asked me to take a look because she was being audited," Provost said.
"I was a little surprised that now she has to prove she actually lives in her own home."
Provost says she is helping because the options are difficult for her mother.
"She is in her 90's, she doesn’t do internet at all and going there in-person is difficult for her mobility," she said.
