The government has introduced amendments to the Local Governance Act that, if passed, would give local governments the authority to develop and impose a vacant property levy.

"Local governments have been asking for more tools to help put vacant properties to better use," said Local Government Minister Aaron Kennedy, who is also minister responsible for Service New Brunswick. "This legislation will give them the option to create a vacant property levy in their communities. We want to see more empty properties put to use, more opportunities for housing, and communities that can grow and thrive."

"Downtown New Brunswick welcomes this proposed amendment as another valuable tool in the municipal toolbox to support the revitalization of our downtowns and urban centres," said Downtown New Brunswick president Patrick Richard. "By empowering municipalities to address vacant and underutilized properties, we can encourage reinvestment, stimulate economic growth and unlock new opportunities to create more vibrant, prosperous and resilient downtown communities across New Brunswick."

Additional amendments have been introduced as part of the government's broader commitment to build a property tax system that is more transparent, predictable and stable.

Proposed amendments to the Assessment Act include requiring property owners to respond to a request for information within 45 days or lose the right to request a review of their assessment. Appeals to the Assessment and Planning Appeal Tribunal would no longer be allowed if property owners fail to provide the required information. These measures are meant to improve the information Property Assessment Services collects and analyzes to accurately determine the assessment values of properties.

Proposed amendments to the Residential Property Tax Relief Act would extend the residential property tax credit to secondary attached or detached residences on the same parcel of land. In addition, the term "eligible individual" would replace "spouse or children" in the act. "Eligible individual" would be defined as an adult child or children, spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents or an adult who is eligible for the Federal Disability Tax Credit.

Additional amendments to the Local Governance Act would enable local governments and rural districts to enter into a community benefit agreement with a developer, allowing them to directly benefit from local economic development. A community benefit agreement is a contract where a developer commits to providing amenities, services, in-kind benefits, local hiring commitments and/or funding to a community to offset anticipated impacts from the development.

"All of these amendments are another important step forward in the property tax and fiscal reform processes to strengthen our local governments," said Kennedy.