What is BC's 20% Foreign Buyer Additional Property Transfer Tax?

Direct answer

BC charges an Additional Property Transfer Tax (the "APTT") of 20% on residential property purchased by a foreign national, foreign corporation, or taxable trustee in five Specified Areas: Metro Vancouver Regional District, Capital Regional District (Greater Victoria), Fraser Valley Regional District, Regional District of Nanaimo, and Regional District of Central Okanagan. The rate was raised from 15% to 20% and the geography expanded on February 21, 2018. The 20% APTT stacks ON TOP OF the standard 1%/2%/3%/5% Property Transfer Tax — it is not a substitute. Worked example on a $1.5M Vancouver condo bought by a non-Canadian: standard PTT = $28,000; APTT = 20% × $1.5M = $300,000; total $328,000 due at land-title registration. The APTT also stacks on top of the federal Foreign Buyer Ban (Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act) — the federal Act is a prohibition, while the BC APTT is a tax that applies to transactions that are otherwise federally permitted (e.g., presales signed before the Act took effect, or buyers covered by a federal exemption). A Canadian-citizen spouse on title can reduce the APTT exposure proportionally to their ownership interest.