Ontario Property Tax
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Legislative Assembly of Ontario Canada
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Whereas, more than a decade ago the Ontario provincial government embarked on property tax reform The Ontario Fair Assessment System that claimed to be fair, consistent, and clear;
and Whereas, at that time, the governments promotional materials made the point that it is unfair that similar homes getting the same services are paying vastly different taxes;
and Whereas, during the ensuing decade property tax disparities have demonstrably worsened;
and Whereas, a system of property taxation that is based on alleged, estimated market value is arbitrary, subjective, capricious, unpredictable, and not rationally or objectively linked to the services attributable to a property;
We specifically ask that the following unfair aspects of the current system be eliminated:
1: Assessments based on the alleged desirability (market value) of a property, which in an often-volatile real estate market can be irrationally, emotionally and/or otherwise artificially inflated.
2: Assessments artificially high based on scarcity or limited availability demand exceeding supply, thus leading to long-time owners of properties being forced to sell because of excessive and punitive tax increases unrelated to provision of services e.g. cottages.
3: Assessments that result in a recurring, annual Capital Gains Tax property owners repeatedly taxed on an alleged but unrealized capital gain.
4: Assessments that are artificially low because they are obtained by differing processes and/or inconsistently subject to many exceptions, special categories, and adjustments - such as capping for groups that are able to mount an effective lobby. Influential people are also able to take advantage of special treatment afforded to agricultural or conservation lands such as horse-racing hobbyists qualifying as farmers.
5: Assessments that discourage home improvements and upkeep, since such work will potentially make the property more desirable to others and thus incur higher taxes.
6: Assessments resulting from the false assumption that owners of more desirable properties are wealthier and better able to pay high taxes than owners of less desirable properties.
7: Assessments resulting in a significant shift of the tax burden from owners of properties deemed less desirable, to owners of those that are purportedly more desirable either because of location or limited supply.
8: Assessments artificially affected by real estate speculators and by decisions of regulators who through unpredictable regulations, like the GTA Greenbelt, create an artificial shortage or otherwise influence the market value of particular types of properties.
9: Assessments bearing no logical/rational relationship to the costs incurred by municipalities and the province to supply those services that are funded by property taxes, nor to the quantity of those services available to or consumed by a particular property. In an age where we need to become more conscious of what we consume there should be rewards available to those who make fewer demands on governments, not tax punishments that have no linkage to actual service consumption. For example, someone who invests in green energy on their property would incur higher taxes as a result of making their property more desirable.
Therefore, we the undersigned Ontario citizens and property owners ask the provincial government to introduce legislation that will make the assessment system truly fair and predictable by eliminating the capricious and unpredictable nature of current assessment methods, to be replaced by objectively determined criteria that would be linked to the actual costs of the government services funded by property taxes.
and Whereas, at that time, the governments promotional materials made the point that it is unfair that similar homes getting the same services are paying vastly different taxes;
and Whereas, during the ensuing decade property tax disparities have demonstrably worsened;
and Whereas, a system of property taxation that is based on alleged, estimated market value is arbitrary, subjective, capricious, unpredictable, and not rationally or objectively linked to the services attributable to a property;
We specifically ask that the following unfair aspects of the current system be eliminated:
1: Assessments based on the alleged desirability (market value) of a property, which in an often-volatile real estate market can be irrationally, emotionally and/or otherwise artificially inflated.
2: Assessments artificially high based on scarcity or limited availability demand exceeding supply, thus leading to long-time owners of properties being forced to sell because of excessive and punitive tax increases unrelated to provision of services e.g. cottages.
3: Assessments that result in a recurring, annual Capital Gains Tax property owners repeatedly taxed on an alleged but unrealized capital gain.
4: Assessments that are artificially low because they are obtained by differing processes and/or inconsistently subject to many exceptions, special categories, and adjustments - such as capping for groups that are able to mount an effective lobby. Influential people are also able to take advantage of special treatment afforded to agricultural or conservation lands such as horse-racing hobbyists qualifying as farmers.
5: Assessments that discourage home improvements and upkeep, since such work will potentially make the property more desirable to others and thus incur higher taxes.
6: Assessments resulting from the false assumption that owners of more desirable properties are wealthier and better able to pay high taxes than owners of less desirable properties.
7: Assessments resulting in a significant shift of the tax burden from owners of properties deemed less desirable, to owners of those that are purportedly more desirable either because of location or limited supply.
8: Assessments artificially affected by real estate speculators and by decisions of regulators who through unpredictable regulations, like the GTA Greenbelt, create an artificial shortage or otherwise influence the market value of particular types of properties.
9: Assessments bearing no logical/rational relationship to the costs incurred by municipalities and the province to supply those services that are funded by property taxes, nor to the quantity of those services available to or consumed by a particular property. In an age where we need to become more conscious of what we consume there should be rewards available to those who make fewer demands on governments, not tax punishments that have no linkage to actual service consumption. For example, someone who invests in green energy on their property would incur higher taxes as a result of making their property more desirable.
Therefore, we the undersigned Ontario citizens and property owners ask the provincial government to introduce legislation that will make the assessment system truly fair and predictable by eliminating the capricious and unpredictable nature of current assessment methods, to be replaced by objectively determined criteria that would be linked to the actual costs of the government services funded by property taxes.
166 Signatures
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Robert Shapton
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Lorna Shapton
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Arnold Korne
- Comments
- Condominum taxation is grossly unfair
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Gordon R Shapton
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Joan A. Shapton
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R Broomer
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Fred Struzer
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Tim Isherwood
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Wain Trotter
- Comments
- A well formatted document and I agree!
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J. N Montgomery
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Christina Koh
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Anna Taylor
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Halima Khan
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David Balmer
- Comments
- A 9\% rise in counsellor salaries and the audacity to raise property taxes; you should be ashamed!!
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trevor shapton
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De Souza Sebastian
- Comments
- If at first you fail ! "Try and Try Again".
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Judy Pacificador
- Comments
- В
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Harvey Rutter
- Comments
- It's about time something was done to try and correct this unfair system and perhaps collectively we can be the lever.
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Sidney Pinkus
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Chris Mitton
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R Jasper
- Comments
- Just compare Toronto taxes to those in Caledon. Why such a difference. And Toronto cannot pay their bills but seem reluctant to raise taxes.
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Helga Sproule
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Rudy Pacificador
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Miki Corazza
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Roland Vardon
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Michael Hollies
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Judith Poulton
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patricia burt
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Stephanie Simmons
- Comments
- I live in the country with no town services other than plowing the roads and school system - schools are closing and plow often comes later in the day. We received an increase this year too.
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Ken Livingstone
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K & B Whitney
- Comments
- since moving into our home 4 years ago, we have seen our property taxes almost double!!. We get no service other than garbage pick up. We are on a well, have a septic system, and we also live on a dirt road with no side walks or street lights. When I called M.P.A.C about the rate hikes I got told " Well you live in a desirable area". I am sick of hearing the people in the city of Toronto whine about their taxes, yet their homes are worth more than a lot of others in the rural or suburbs and they pay a lot less. It will get to a point where people will be forced out of their homes because the taxes keep going up yet a persons pay check does not, not in keeping with the rising cost of things. There has to be a better way.
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Clive Hollingbery
- Comments
- My principle residence is in Orangeville with a cottage in Bracebridge.....we use the cottage maybe 45 days a year....why am I paying a full tax load in both locations?
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Bruce Spence
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Jane Lormand
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Anthony Kilburn
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Anna Kruppe
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Charlene Ward
- Comments
- please act now!
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Irene Wilson
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Ian Bilsland
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Jennifer Wilson
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Andrew Bilsland
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charles murray
- Comments
- Ombudsman office should be copied with the petition
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REY CUEVAS
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Claudio Della-Mora
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A. L. Campagnolo
- Comments
- Most of the taxes (especially school taxes) should be levied on income, not on home ownership, so that you pay according to what you can, and you can afford keeping your home after you are retired.
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Paul Revell
- Comments
- Poorly designed tax to obtain school funding. Wrong kind of tax, wrong level of government, completely inadequate and inappropriate for everyone concerned..
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Fred G.
- Comments
- We're in a newer subdivision in Lincoln. Everytime a new phase opens prices and, therefore, property taxes go up. Why should our propety taxes go up everytime someone pays an inflated price for a new home? We've seen the price go up $125,000 but am I supposed to sell everytime this happens to be able to pay for property taxes? There's got to be a better way to compute property taxes. As someone suggested, based on ability to pay; ie. income
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Sandra Boersen
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Sharon Harrietha
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Carol Hill
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166
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