NAIOP Canada is seeking tax breaks for office conversions after Ottawa and some provinces scrapped taxes on rental-housing construction projects. The commercial real estate industry group called for tax relief on office conversions Friday while praising the federal government for scrapping GST charges, and Ontario for promising to lift its provincial tax, on purpose-built apartment projects. Easing the conversion of older obsolete office buildings into residential or mixed-use space should be another component of the federal and provincial response to demand for new housing, said NAIOP in a news release. Such efforts are necessary as office-space oversupply continues to be a significant issue across the country, NAIOP contended. Office conversions are increasing as investors and developers grapple with high vacancy. The City of Calgary’s downtown development incentive program has been credited with reducing class B and C office space. DIP awards municipal grants of $75 per square foot on office-to-residential conversions.