Less than two weeks left before the election of the mayor of Winnipeg, and two candidates described their plans for property taxes.
As Motkaluk informed, she intends not to make property tax more than 1.6% per year, because real estate is already owned by citizens.
She also said that, in the first place, residents of the city will have certainty. Each time they receive a bill, they will know what number they will see there. This is very important because at the moment paying taxes causes most people to be horrified when they see different numbers in their bills each time.
According to the new plan, city residents will pay the same amount until they sell their house. Then, the tax will be revised depending on the condition of the property. This change will not require provincial approval and may be accepted by the city.
Tim Diack said that he is going to make a tax of 1.2% in the first year and then fix the rate for all subsequent years. In two years, he also plans to lower the business tax.
As he told, people of the city overpay a lot. Winnipeggers pay the highest taxes in the country, and this should be changed.
The current mayor announced his tax plans a few weeks ago, and it was his initiative to listen to the views of other candidates.
However, he also informed that the city still has a road improvement program, and it is funded mainly through real estate tax. If this tax is significantly reduced, the program may not be completed due to lack of budget money. He accepts the position not to change tax until the program is finished.
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