The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Question: Our mayor and council want a new property tax system that includes a base tax for everyone, the end result being that those with middle- and low-range homes (middle- and low-income earners) would pay more and those with more expensive homes (high-income earners) would pay less. With due respect, why are our councillors fighting for the wealthy instead of the middle class and those with low incomes? If I'm misinterpreting what your plan would effectively do, please enlighten me. Mayor Therien: The concept of using an assessment base model for the computing of your property taxes has been around forever and does have the effect of taxing the upper-scale homes more than the others. The problem is that there is not an expense incurred by both the municipality and the school board that has any correlation to the value of your home/property. Does using the assessment model make sense? The concept we proposed is no different than what is being used in Saskatchewan. The idea is to create a flat tax of a specific amount ( I believe it is $900 in SK) and the rest of the tax requirements would be acquired using the assessment model. In Flin Flon, after applying the provincial education tax grant, some people pay little to no taxes yet others pay thousands more for exactly the same services. Is this fair? The idea was never to reduce the amount of taxes paid by some people, but to transfer some of the cost of services that all use/need equally. The resolution was almost unanimously approved at this past November's Association of Manitoba Municipalities convention and will be carried by their board to the provincial government. What happens then, who knows, but this is not the first time a resolution of a base tax has been brought to the province and has yet to receive approval. * * * Question: Why have we heard non-biologists on council question the need to meet Manitoba government experts' new water treatment standards? Mayor Therien: Manitoba's new water treatment standards are very ridged and were designed to be overly protective. The problem is the cost to provide the water to meet these standards. To question the costs associated with this is reasonable as we, in turn, have to pass the costs on to you, the consumer. Our water bills are high now, but this will add more cost, which means even higher bills. I agree with you in regards to questioning the standards themselves. I know I am not an expert and the last thing I want to see is another Walkerton/Battleford situation. I trust that the information we are receiving is accurate and reliable and will need to be followed, but it will come at a price. * * * Send your questions for Mayor Therien to The Reminder by phone at 687-3454, fax at 687-4473, e-mail at [email protected], or standard delivery at "Ask the Mayor", C/O The Reminder, 14 North Avenue, Flin Flon, R8A 0T2. No names are required. Ask the Mayor runs Mondays.
