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Why are homes so
unaffordable?
Did you know at least one third of the cost to buy or rent a new home in Vancouver is directly related to four levels of government fees, taxes, charges and regulations … and growing to as high as 35 per cent in some cities.
Similarly, a new two-bedroom unit in Toronto means builders (and ultimately buyers or renters) pay a development charge (DC) of approximately $81,000, while a single-family home is charged around $137,000.
Welcome to Homes Not Bank Machines. We advocate for housing solutions – like reduced government taxes, fees and regulatory burdens – to make homes more affordable for everyone in Canada. For too long, too many generations have been shut out of
home ownership or decent rentals.
Hammering Home-Builders with Growing Taxes & Fees
You can erroneously blame builders for “greed,” or you put the blame where it belongs...
Government fees and costs consume almost 30% for a new Vancouver apartment.
This growing government bite also occurs in cities with poor housing affordability like Toronto.
Vancouver
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For an apartment priced at $1.1 million, that’s $327,565 going to governments.
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And those costs are about 33 per cent of average monthly rent. Buyers and renters ultimately pay all these hidden costs.
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See for yourself here.
Toronto
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One eastern real estate analyst dubs these fees the “Great Housing Daylight Robbery”. These fees saw an eye-watering growth of more than 1,000 % since 2001!
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The July 17, 2025 Globe & Mail editorial board wrote how "Toronto city council opted earlier this year to freeze development charges at 2024 levels, but only after they had risen sharply," up "nearly 50 per cent from 2022 to 2024." And, all those fees and taxes should be transparent, not hidden, they argue.
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Are Governments Just Helping Themselves?
Housing's Hidden Costs
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Homebuyers and renters may not realize that hidden government fees are baked into the price of every home. Builders have to pay these costs upfront, so they’re passed down—just like stores include taxes and fees in the price of everyday items.
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Governments at all levels are taxing homes like they're cigarettes or alcohol to fund ever-growing bureaucracies federally, provincially and regionally with salaries comparable to a US President at $400,000 (USD).
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Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) federal government executives are earning $410K on average. That may explain their mortgage insurance premium hike that skyrocketed 28.7% in 2024.
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Did you know CMHC, (est. 1946) began paying billions in "dividends" to the federal government in 2017? Those funds come from CMHC - mortgaged homeowners like you or homebuilders' loans.
Can you move into a government "plan", "housing approval" or "target"?
You can only live in a "completion". Governments don't "build" homes. Their "plans" don't deliver anything but headlines and larger bureaucracies. Toronto is now seeing the fewest homes built in 30 years.
Top Three Housing Helpers?
1. Reduce Growing Government Fees, Taxes on Housing in Canada.
2. Remove Rent Controls on New Building To Create More Homes.
3. Approve Housing Faster by Removing Red Tape. Read more.
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Hear from home-builders, tax experts, academics & opinion leaders
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