Comment 6096

By Markwhittle (registered) - website | Posted March 28, 2007 at 07:58:56

The area assessment rating was to appease the suburban vote when Hamilton couldn't get together with the other small towns and forge a future together, so the solution was imposed.

Instead of huge economies of scale savings as the legislation foretold we continue have these bone-headed NIMBY ideological decisions made by certain councilors to "look good" for their constituency's instead of the whole cloth, the fabric of our community.

It's as self-serving as it get's for Hamilton Councilors, unto each his own.

And abolishing this lop-sided accounting of the tax rolls is the right time now that property assessments by MPAC and the Province are suspended.

That way the ones not paying their fair share will only have to make up the shortfall ($5 million) in "social services" for this year and inject some capital expenditures into our flagging public transportation services.

A one-time adjustment like the LSR of amalgamation dulled by Dalton McGuinty freezing our property taxes. And if he is ousted in October, John Tory will cap assessment at no more than 5% per year while reforming MPAC.

So if area rating was abolished tomorrow, under-taxed suburban Hamiltonians will not be hit with outragious property tax bills while at the same time paying their fair share equally, like the rest of us that have been doing by subsidizing their area rating since Amalgamation.

Time to even the playing field, once and for all. Our future depends on it.

Embrace change ... make it work!

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