Toronto's Taxes

Chris Watts position Toronto's taxes is accurate as far as it goes back. But it doesn't go back far enough.

In the early seventies, the Province allowed municipalities to adopt market value assessment or not.

In the time of David Crombie, the City's Tiny Perfect Mayor, Toronto did not. Borough assessments were more up to date because homes were newer. Ticky-tacky boxes in Scarborough were paying more in property taxes than millionaire mansions in Rosedale.

The Boroughs were also paying a disproportionate share of Metro's taxes . There was greater inequity there than anywhere. But the Province made no effort to mandate the change.

When Mayor Joyce Trimble of Scarborough exited the scene after she had tried to correct the injustice for years, she had bitter things to say about the unfairness of it all.

Stuff like that happens in the Province of Ontario. Toronto is the tail that wags the dog.Toronto is the reason we have four year terms of office.

When the boroughs were amalgamated into a City, the effort was finally made after more than thirty years, to bring the City's assessment in line with the market value. measurement in place in the rest of the Province.

That's when the GTA was burdened with the cost of Toronto's Social Services to lessen the impact of market value assessment in the City.

When Brian Ashton failed to support David Miller's bid to introduce new taxes, he was dumped from the Mayor's powerful executive committee. Brain Ashton was a veteran Scarborough politician. When Miller offered the position to another Scarborough representative, he turned it down.

I remember amazement on the face of the Minister of Municipal Affairs when I pointed out to him the average Aurora homeowner was paying higher property taxes than his match in Toronto. His staff had to check to discover it was true.

When David Miller boasts Toronto taxpayers have the lowest property taxes in the GTA, it's doubtful residents of the City or the GTA recognise or care, it's because they are not paying their fair share.

Mel Lastman used to claim industry was leaving Toronto because the burbs were enticing them by offering property tax holidays. He was so full of it.

Industries were leaving Toronto because of the assessment equity to be found outside. And because they could sell property in Toronto, re-locate and build new facilities in the burbs and still have money in hand.

Toronto media never bothered to check. Denizens of the megalopolis paid little attention. People in the burbs didn't either. The Province continued to exploit indifference and carried on the injustice.No matter the party in power, none of them had the courage to do what was right.

They added insult to injury when they forced us to shoulder the burden of Toronto's social services throughout the Greater Toronto Region.

In return, they took on the burden of education costs from us and at the same time took away the right to make our own decisions. That's what happens when you no longer pay the freight.