In this episode of The Last Honest Realtor, David Fleming breaks down the newly announced HST rebate on new homes, a policy dominating headlines across Ontario’s real estate market.
While the rebate promises savings of up to 13% for buyers, David explores the bigger question: does removing HST actually improve affordability, increase sales, or help the struggling development industry? Through economic history, housing policy analysis, and a candid discussion on taxation and government spending, this episode challenges whether the rebate will meaningfully impact housing prices at all.
In This Episode:
- 01:04 — What the new HST rebate actually is
- 09:32 — The economics of tax cuts and government revenue
- 13:12 — Why affordability may not improve
- 16:40 — Demand reduction vs supply creation
- 17:31 — How policy unintentionally made housing less affordable
- 18:56 — The real cost of taxes and “free” government programs
- 20:30 — Why the rebate may have little market impact
