Canso residents bemoan tax hikes
Commercial rate up to $4
CANSO - The future viability of the Town of Canada is on the minds of many town residents, business owners and town councillors this week as the community prepares to absorb yet another tax hike.
Ten residents attended the regular monthly meeting of council Monday night, several of whom voiced concern over the town's setting of new tax rates last week. The residential rate is up four per cent from $2.22 per $100 of assessment, to $2.30. The commercial rate is up 10 per cent from $3.34 to $4.
"When this council came in it was made clear that we wouldn't take any more tax increases, but we've had two more," resident Joan Horne told council.
Mayor Ray White said overall assessments in the town went down three per cent, "so if it (the rate) was left the same we would have generated less revenue." He noted that according to individual assessments, some people might see an increase in their tax bill and for others it might stay the same. Town staff has offered to do an analysis of individual situations to let people know how their bill might change.
White said several factors beyond the control of council led to the hikes. One is the phasing out of the business occupancy tax in favour of the commercial tax. There was also a reduction of the assessment to Seafreez and a number of individual property owners, resulting in an overall reduction of $300,000 in assessment.
"All of the councillors at this table would have liked to have seen it lower," White said of the tax hikes. The mayor and several others at the meeting said the only thing that will turn things around for Canso is job creation.
Councillor Finn Armsworthy said the increasing taxes are going to hurt businesses in the community. "Right here, right now, we've got small businesses in the community with taxes going up. Every small business in this community is going to have to pay more.
"At the public meeting in the gym (last year) I stated that we should amalgamate (with the District of Guysborough)…I stick by that now. You're not going to get businesses in this community with taxes of $4. That's my opinion."
Business owner Gloria Weathers says regardless of the phasing out of the business occupancy tax, entrepreneurs will be turned off by the new commercial tax rate.
"They'll just look at the rate and they'll say, 'We can't afford that'," she predicted.
Armsworthy also addressed concerns expressed in the past that services could be lost if amalgamation takes place in the future. "You will not lose services because of amalgamation," he said. "If you lose services it's because of the declining number of people."
"You need economic development," added Armsworthy. "And you're not going to do it with a $4 commercial tax rate."
Following the meeting, Mayor White said budget items that council and staff can control are at or under budget. He said other factors affecting the increase were a rise in garbage collection costs and RCMP rates going up.
"We have to really look at how our decisions are affecting people," said White. "We know it's going to put a strain on the commercial side…The points people have put forth are very valid."
White said council and the community are going to have to make difficult decisions if they are to try to turn Canso's fortunes around.
"We're going to have to take a serious look at where we're going in the future and what we're providing," he said. The mayor noted that council's priorities in the coming year will be to continue keeping costs under control, to do an analysis of services and the future direction of the community, and to stress to government agencies that job creation is a priority if small towns are going to survive.
