Mayoral candidate Rob Ford told about 200 realtors Thursday that he might have to wait as late as 2012 to deliver on his promise to scrap the city’s unpopular land transfer tax. He blamed the November 2011 provincial election.

In a speech to the Toronto Real Estate Board, he said: “I can’t promise that I’m going to be able to do it in 2011. If there wasn’t a provincial election next year, then everything would be smooth sailing and I’d be able to say yes.

“It’s going to be very hard to get a hold of an MPP or a civil servant up at Queen’s Park because in an election, everyone just shuts down and is out on the hustings.”

Main rival George Smitherman pounced on the statement, noting that, after lobbying the province, Toronto won the power to impose and repeal taxes unilaterally under the City of Toronto Act.

The real estate board, which has applauded Ford for being the only major candidate who would scrap a tax that adds $3,725 to the cost of a $400,000 home, later said the provincial election poses no impediment.

“The City of Toronto Act allows city hall to implement a land transfer tax,” said board spokesman Von Palmer. “He (Ford) can repeal the land transfer tax without any provincial amendment. They do have that right.”

Palmer speculated that Ford means he plans to ask the province to strip the city of the taxing power. That would block a future mayor from reimposing the tax.

In a media scrum later, Ford responded to those comments saying, “We have to make sure the provincial government is onside and . . . there might be a stall. And I just don’t want to say for sure in case something comes up that we can’t get it through.”

The tax, introduced by Mayor David Miller to help balance the books, will pump about $204 million into city coffers. If it’s cancelled, that would need to be offset by spending cuts or another source of new revenue.

The Etobicoke councillor first revealed the possibility of a delay Oct. 8 while unveiling his fiscal plan.

The real estate board fought hard against the tax when it was being debated in 2007, releasing polls that showed it to be unpopular. Palmer said realtors are concerned that if repeal is delayed, people may put off purchasing a home.

“I think the onus is on the candidate, in this case Mr. Ford, to set out a timetable for repeal of the land transfer tax,” he said. “If we can’t act quickly, set out some details which could include making the repeal retroactive.”

Meanwhile, the Star’s Robert Benzie reports that provincial government sources confirmed many of the 500 Liberal political staffers at Queen’s Park will be allowed to leave work “after lunch” Monday to help Smitherman’s campaign get voters to the polls.

“Almost all of them will turn out,” predicted one Grit insider.

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Also Thursday, Smitherman was endorsed by Unite Here Local 75, which represents about 7,000 hotel and restaurant workers. A union statement expressed fears Ford would “create division and heighten intolerance” as well as attack services the workers rely on.

Ford and Smitherman remain in a political headlock, according to a Leger Marketing Poll released by the Toronto Sun. It found a majority think Ford would bring the most change to city hall, but Smitherman would be the best mayor.