CRISANTI: Another low blow to Toronto taxpayers

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BY VINCE CRISANTI

This year, taxpayers will face a 6.9% hike – more than three times the rate of inflation – on top of the 9.5% increase approved in last year’s budget, totaling a whopping 17% in just 12 months.

Make no mistake about it – whether you rent or own a home, everyone will pay more. The last two budgets have made Toronto a more expensive city to live in.

Here’s what we heard at the budget consultation in Etobicoke last month.

Torontonians feel a tax hike this significant will worsen affordability. People are telling me they’re being forced to choose between paying their bills or buying groceries.

To soften the blow, as the Seniors Advocate, I worked closely with the city’s CFO to increase the income eligibility of the property tax, water and solid waste relief programs to $60,000, benefitting 13,000 households this year.

I also moved a motion at the Feb. 11 City Council meeting to reduce the property tax rate by 2% with no impact to service levels. I received immediate backlash from those unwilling to put money back into the pockets of taxpayers. This unusually aggressive pushback resulted in the motion being ruled out of order, not giving it an opportunity to be put to a democratic vote. There’s nothing more orderly than respecting taxpayers.

Those who know how to manage a business would agree that decreasing expenditures does not mean cutting services. The City of Toronto is a corporation responsible for providing services to its people through the management of taxpayers’ dollars, which requires tackling inefficiencies.

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Here are two prime examples:

The Bike Share Program is currently operating at a $9 million loss subsidized by tax dollars. The second motion I moved aimed to address this issue by asking the Toronto Parking Authority to operate the program at a profit, and it got defeated. Again, there doesn’t seem to be an appetite among some members of council to lift this burden off taxpayers.

Most people are not aware the TTC is losing $141 million to fare evasion. Yet, there is no will to address this issue effectively, leaving Torontonians to foot this bill.

Mayor Olivia Chow promised Toronto families a modest tax increase. Instead, this budget adds to the out-of-control affordability crisis being faced across the city.

How many more blows can Torontonians take?

– Toronto City Councillor Vincent Crisanti represents Ward 1, Etobicoke North