Skip to main content

Featured

Syria's Deadliest Days: Over 1,000 Killed in Clashes and Revenge Killings

In a tragic escalation of violence, over 1,000 people have lost their lives in Syria during two days of intense clashes and revenge killings. The conflict erupted between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, with sectarian violence targeting the Alawite community, a key support base of the former regime. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the death toll includes 745 civilians, 125 government security personnel, and 148 militants. The violence has left areas like Latakia without electricity and water, further deepening the humanitarian crisis. The revenge killings, primarily carried out by Sunni Muslim gunmen, have devastated Alawite villages, with reports of targeted shootings, looting, and arson. Thousands have fled to the mountains seeking safety, while bodies remain unburied in the streets of towns like Baniyas. This marks one of the deadliest episodes in Syria's 14-year conflict, raising fears of further inst...

Richmond Man Fined $2M for Tax Evasion After Flipping 14 Homes

 

A serial property flipper in British Columbia, Balkar Bhullar, has been fined over $2 million for tax evasion. Bhullar, who flipped 14 homes between 2011 and 2014, failed to report nearly $7.5 million in earnings. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that Bhullar was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day on December 19, 2024, and fined $2.15 million, matching the amount of unpaid federal income tax.

Bhullar pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion on August 3, 2023, relating to undeclared income from assignment fees on the properties. The CRA has been making significant progress in uncovering and addressing tax cheating in the real estate sector. 

In response to such cases, a new home-flipping tax will come into effect in B.C. on January 1, 2025, with a tax of up to 20% applying to homeowners who sell properties within two years of buying. The revenue collected from this tax will go toward housing programs.

B.C.'s Finance Minister Brenda Bailey stated that measures like the home-flipping tax aim to ensure more affordable homes for buyers and renters and discourage speculative investors from buying houses for a quick profit.

The B.C. Real Estate Association has criticized the tax, arguing that it may cause sellers to delay listing their homes, lowering resale housing supply and tightening market conditions.




Comments