October 29, 2016 · 0 Comments
Dear Editor
The Truth About the NEC Expansion Plans
There are all kinds of legitimate reasons to oppose the NEC’s expansion plans, and I do. But, according to my calculations, the huge potential tax hikes that have been tossed around by local politicians and in the media should this Plan be approved have been greatly exaggerated.
Dufferin County’s budget is 35 million dollars. The tax losses from the additional Conservation Lands that would be eligible for a tax reduction due to the NEP remapping in Mono and Mulmur are less than $300,000, resulting in a County tax loss of less than 1%. And I would be surprised if the County would lose an additional 1% of tax revenue if the NEP expansion in Mulmur and Melancthon is approved. So, for the average County property, a 2% increase on the County portion of your tax bill might be around $30. And the School Board portion might be half that. Obviously, us Mulmur residents would see a steeper tax hike, but nothing like what’s been quoted in the papers.
Lower tier governments used to be reimbursed for these tax losses, but the Mike Harris Conservatives put an end to that many years ago. Perhaps a more effective argument might be to pressure the Provincial government to once again cover those losses.
Carl Tafel