Saint John’s surrounding towns and villages are coming together to support the city in its ongoing fight against the Province on tax reform.
This comes after an ongoing dialogue and debate about Saint John’s ‘new deal’ with the Province, which sparked criticism from the Auditor General.
The Mayors of Grand Bay-Westfield, Quispamsis, Rothesay and St. Martins are calling on the Province to work on a solution to the “unfair” and “out-of-date” property tax revenue model, which has remained relatively unchanged since 1966.
In a letter, they claim that the Province gets close to half the tax revenue from property taxes in Saint John, without providing nearly as many services.
They believe that in the current model, the province “is taking more than its fair share” and is leaving a “weighty burden” on municipalities, who are expected to provide more and more services each year.
They would like to see the Province transfer some of that tax to the municipalities instead of raising taxes, and divide service delivery costs more equally.
The letter states that the villages and towns want to work together on the “bigger picture,” referencing some recent drama.
“Residents in the region are tired of disputes over minor irritants like ice surfaces,” it states. “If we solve the big problem, these smaller issues will take care of themselves.”
