---
title: "Toronto's real estate board calls for land transfer tax cut ahead of October 26 vote"
description: "TRREB president Daniel Steinfeld says easing the city's municipal land transfer tax would be a fast way to help housing affordability, as Bradford and Chow set out competing plans."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/toronto-land-transfer-tax-trreb-october-17"
last_updated: "2026-10-18T23:20:47.633Z"
---

Toronto's real estate association called on candidates to cut the city's municipal land transfer tax this week, saying it is one of the fastest changes Toronto City Hall can make to help housing affordability before voting day on October 26.

Daniel Steinfeld, president of the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, told the Toronto Sun on October 17 that the tax "has become something of a villain during this month's election campaign." Combined with Ontario's standard provincial tax, the two charges together come to about $33,000 on a typical Toronto home, according to TRREB.

The city already has a rebate on the municipal portion, but it only applies to homes priced at $400,000 or less. TRREB says that threshold is out of date: few Toronto homes sell at or below that price today.

**Bradford proposes a wider rebate**

[Brad Bradford](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford) has made the land transfer tax a talking point in his campaign for mayor. He has cited a figure from a TRREB report on the campaign trail: more than 77,000 people moved away from Toronto last year, according to the Toronto Sun.

Bradford's campaign proposes a rebate on the city's portion of the tax for homes priced at $400,000 or less. The Bradford campaign estimates the rebate would be worth about $18,000 and would apply to two-thirds of Toronto resale homes.

**Chow focuses on building new homes**

[Olivia Chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow) has focused her housing platform on construction. The Toronto Sun reported that she has touted rental home and affordable unit construction in her first term and has committed to building 65,000 homes by 2030.

**TRREB on the limits of the change**

Steinfeld said the tax is "in a lot of ways a low-hanging fruit" but acknowledged it is also a source of city revenue that would be hard to replace. He said affordability should not simply mean lower prices: cheaper studio condos do not help a family that needs three bedrooms.

He said the most important step is to restore people's confidence that homeownership is possible. "People have been so disenfranchised by what the current environment is," he told the Toronto Sun.

**What this means for voters**

Voters choosing between Bradford and Chow for mayor on October 26 can compare their housing plans at the candidate pages on this site. Bradford's full platform is at [/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford) and Chow's is at [/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/on/toronto-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.