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Comment by jimmywanger | Hacker News Reader

> As a local, I'd vote that foreigners shouldn't be allowed to buy property here at all

Define "local" and "foreigner". Does local mean you grew up in vancouver, or moved there a while ago, or your family spent three generations there already?

In addition, define foreigner. Anywhere else in British Columbia considered "foreign"? What about from Ottowa?

If you mean that you want to punish behaviour, such as buying houses and properties you don't live in or use, that's one thing. Discrimination based on locality sounds an awful lot like Jim Crow laws.

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I think he means foreigner as in a non-permanent resident.

It isn't unheard of. In SE Asia (the Phillipines for example), all properties must have 50%+ occupancy by permanent residents.

> In SE Asia (the Phillipines for example), all properties must have 50%+ occupancy by permanent residents.

I think that's an overly wide generalization. For instance, in Thailand, I don't think you're allowed to own land or houses, just a condo. In Laos, you can't own land at all.

The situation is much the same in much of Latin America.

Not exactly rich countries.

Let's face it, capital coming into the country to buy property is a Good Thing from an economic perspective. You "just" have to make sure this capital rewards low-income people as much as property owners. This tax is one way to do that, which I think is very good.

Switzerland also has strict restrictions on foreigners and non residents buying properties.

I think asking someone to live in a home they own 6 months a year in the same city as their property(ies) satisfies 'fairness'. It's important to allow people to live their lives, but over speculation hurts many people to a much larger extent.

You had me right up to Jim Crow laws. That is a bit hyperbolic and an inappropriate comparison, IMO.

"Foreign real estate investor" in Vancouver is a thinly veiled euphemism for "Chinese and Russian money."

When you're passing a law that disproportionately affects certain ethnic groups, that particular comparison is apt.

Most of the Russian and Chinese money is being laundered out of their respective countries.

Your ethnicity isn't being discrimated against, just your country's economics circumstances. No reason to bring the SJWing into an economic argument.

>Your ethnicity isn't being discrimated against, just your country's economics circumstances.

Restricting people, no matter their ethnicities, based on their country's circumstances is generally frowned upon. Especially when it only affects citizens of a few countries. "Well, this law only applies to <action> Too bad only people from these countries perform these <actions>"

Besides, your claim that the money is being laundered is highly speculative and unproven. That's the definition of painting with a wide brush - because most money is suspect, you cut off access to all of it?

Both local governments and popular opinion in those regions differ from your opinion, although you are still entitled to that opinion.

Local residents and voters have the right to keep others out if their laws allow for it. Outsiders/non-citizens don't get a vote.

Wut?

This is fundamentally a monetary and trade policy issue.

Are you claiming that, for example, tarriffs on Chinese dumped imports are also equivalent to racially targeted laws?

Likewise

Canada didn't have Jim Crow laws, wrong country.

http://startouch.thestar.com/screens/003e50ae-8fe5-4e1f-be7e...

Your simplistic views of history do not explain reality. Just because they weren't called Jim Crow laws doesn't mean that similar laws didn't exist.

I didn't say similar things didn't exist in Canada, I said "Jim Crow" didn't exist in Canada because that was the subject of the comment I was replying to. Thanks for the scolding though.

Local (in my case) means born in Vancouver and raised in bc. Foreigner means not a Canadian citizen. I don't think anyone who isn't a Canadian citizen should be allowed to buy Canadian property.

You still have not given reasons why you think that people who aren't Canadian citizens should be allowed to buy Canadian property, or that the fact that you're a "local" by some definition of the word gives you some sort of special insight or moral authority on the matter.

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