Speak up now, Toronto, if you want to avoid large tax hikes.
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The last thing the city should be doing during the affordability crisis is taking more money out of peoples’ wallets. Yet. Mayor Olivia Chow is currently setting the stage for what could be a significant property tax increase.
This won’t just hurt middle-class homeowners. It’ll be passed on to renters and make life more difficult for seniors on fixed incomes.
During the mayoral race, Chow refused to say what sort of tax increases she’d introduce. But she has a long history of supporting large rate hikes.
Rob Davis served on council alongside Chow in the 1990s and remembers how she pushed for double-digit increases in one year alone.
“I saw first-hand how she supported a 12% tax hike as a Metro councillor in the early 90s,” says Davis. “The day after the budget passes, you’ll realize it’ll really cost you an arm and a leg.”
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Everything we’ve seen from Chow so far indicates that we should brace ourselves for a big increase.
For starters, Chow hasn’t done any meaningful budget review. Previous mayors began their tenures with such a review.
It’s important to do a line-by-line study because otherwise you’re accepting that the numbers you’ve inherited are perfect and no dollars were improperly allocated.
Chow, instead, focuses on the simplistic alternative that it’s all about the provincial and federal governments shelling out more money. It’s certainly true that Toronto deserves greater respect as one of the economic engines of the nation — other levels of government should be doing all they can to ensure our city’s economic vibrancy. But it’s reckless for this to be the entire budget strategy.
It is, though, smart politics.
When a big increase is announced, Chow will try to redirect frustrations away from her office and towards other levels of government for not delivering her requested sum. Hopefully, the people won’t fall for it.
The fix is also in when it comes to the widespread consultations currently underway, which Chow says will heavily inform her budget.
“How are you going to help us find $1.5 billion?” Chow instructed residents at the Scarborough session, as if it was somehow their job — and not hers — to tackle the deficit she knowingly inherited.
While it’s commendable for the mayor to travel throughout the city to receive feedback, those who are familiar with the political process know that the people most likely to attend such events are those who lobby for more spending, not less.
Residents who can’t make the in-person sessions are encouraged to fill in an online survey, which is likewise structured to draw out the tax-and-spend answers the Mayor’s Office appears to seek.
It was incredible to join everyone in Scarborough last night for the first budget consultation!
Tell us about what will improve our City for you and your family.
There are still seven more consultations open to all residents. Learn more: https://t.co/7i5bHfQ17M pic.twitter.com/vbocAgfkNY
The opening question asks you to identify the main department that you think needs a larger budget, and there is no option for “none.” It then asks if you’d band together with neighbours to get all of your friends to lobby MPs and MPPs on behalf of Chow’s policies.
The last section gets you to rate ideas submitted by other respondents. The ones that popped up for me were about defunding the police and banning single-family homes.
If we’re to avoid the sort of large tax increase that will make life more difficult for families, it’s important that Olivia Chow hears from more than just her echo chamber of supporters. Advocates for fiscal restraint need to speak up, and they need to do it now.
— Anthony Furey is a former Postmedia columnist and Toronto mayoral candidate. He is the executive director of The Stronach Foundation for Economic Rights. Reach him at anthony@furey.ca.
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FUREY: Olivia Chow’s budget process sets the stage for large tax hikes
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23.11.2023
Speak up now, Toronto, if you want to avoid large tax hikes.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Don't have an account? Create Account
The last thing the city should be doing during the affordability crisis is taking more money out of peoples’ wallets. Yet. Mayor Olivia Chow is currently setting the stage for what could be a significant property tax increase.
This won’t just hurt middle-class homeowners. It’ll be passed on to renters and make life more difficult for seniors on fixed incomes.
During the mayoral race, Chow refused to say what sort of tax increases she’d introduce. But she has a long history of supporting large rate hikes.
Rob Davis served on council alongside Chow in the 1990s and remembers how she pushed for double-digit increases in one year alone.
“I saw first-hand how she supported a 12% tax hike as a Metro councillor in the early 90s,” says Davis. “The day after the budget passes, you’ll realize it’ll really cost you an arm and a leg.”
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