As somebody who just bought a house in June, I know surprisingly little about what help the government offers to FTHBs. We didn’t qualify for the benefits that exist for FTHBs, since for my wife this is her second home purchase, and that meant that I didn’t even look at what would have been available, since it didn’t apply.
I think FTHBs get a tax credit, or a loan from the government at a lower interest rate, or something to help them be able to afford a house. My understanding is that most people use these incentives to buy a bigger house than they otherwise would have, which doesn’t necessarily help them financially, as it just gives them a bigger mortgage payment, which under equivalent circumstances means that while they may be more likely to buy a house, they’re also more likely to buy something they can’t actually afford.
In terms of policy, I would support helping young families to buy/rent housing, but perhaps through subsidized housing rather than cash/tax breaks which really help people who can already afford to buy more than those who still can’t under the FTHB policy. My own personal views are that for essentials like housing, nobody should be refused on the basis that they cannot pay, but that subsidies shouldn’t exist for everyone, they should ramp down as a person or families income ramps up.
Summary: I don’t actually know what the FTHBs policy is right now, but I think there’s definitely more than can be done to support young people in securing affordable housing that is sustainable and safe for them. In giving my answer, I went with my gut, without knowing what each party actually plans to do on this issue.
Table of Contents
- Making the CBC Vote Compass even better
- Proposition 1: First-time home buyers (FTHBs)
- Proposition 2: Handguns
- Proposition 3: Child Care
- Proposition 4: Health Care
- Proposition 5: Basic Income
- Proposition 6: Quebec Separatism
- Proposition 7: Unions
- Proposition 8: Climate Change
- Proposition 9: Reconciliation
- Proposition 10: Quebec Separatism (2)
- Proposition 11: Equalization Payments
- Proposition 12: Trans Pronoun Rights
- Proposition 13: Corporate Taxes
- Proposition 14: Abortion Services
- Proposition 15: Supervised Injection Sites
- Proposition 16: Oil and Gas Subsidies
- Proposition 17: Asylum Claims
- Proposition 18: Defecit Reduction
- Proposition 19: Immigration
- Proposition 20: Military Spending
- Proposition 21: Single-Use Plastics
- Proposition 22: Employment Insurance
- Proposition 23: Violence Against Indigenous Women
- Proposition 24: Wealth Tax
- Proposition 25: Gender-Balanced Cabinet
- Proposition 26: Pharmacare
- Proposition 27: Monarchy
- Proposition 28: Foreign Policy on Human Rights
- Proposition 29: Carbon Tax
- Proposition 30: Religious Minorities
- Propositions 31 & 32 (QOTD): Religious Symbols Ban
- Ways to Improve the CBC Vote Compass (Conclusion)
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