Beat the 2011 trust tax with these REITs

Article Excerpt

Most real estate investment trusts (REITs), including our two recommendations below, are exempt from Ottawa’s income-trust tax, which comes into effect on January 1, 2011. Even so, we still advise against overindulging in REITs. But if you stick with REITs that have steady cash flows and sound balance sheets, like the two we recommend on this page, you should earn attractive long-term returns at relatively low risk. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $19.87 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 39.1 million; Market cap: $777.1 million; SI Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.6%) owns office buildings in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Winnipeg. These mainly Class I properties contain over 5.7 million square feet of leasable area. Class I refers to 19th and early 20th-century light industrial buildings that have been restored and converted to office and retail space. These properties usually feature high ceilings, natural light, exposed beams, interior brick and hardwood floors. The trust has 53 mainly Class I properties in Toronto (these…