REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTORONTO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Canada introduced tax measures on Tuesday to ease a severe rental housing shortage by limiting income tax deductions on short-term rentals on services such as Airbnb Inc (ABNB.O) and VRBO, joining many countries that are enacting similar laws. The new rules apply as of Jan. 1 in provinces and municipalities that bar short-term rentals, and affect deductions such as interest expenses, the federal government said in its fall economic statement. In Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver alone, an estimated 18,900 homes were being used as short-term rental properties in 2020, the report added, noting that the number "has almost surely increased in recent years." Starting in 2024, the government will spend C$50 million ($36 million) over three years to enable municipal enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals. Gabriel Giguère, public policy analyst at Montreal Economic Institute, criticized the government's decision to modify the tax treatment of the expenses of owners of short-term rental apartments.

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Persons: Dado Ruvic, Nathan Rotman, Gabriel Giguère, Giguère, Nivedita Balu, Richard Chang, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights TORONTO, Inc, Canada, Montreal Economic Institute, British Columbia, Thomson Locations: Canada, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Australia, Italy, Canadian, U.S, Florence, Byron, British