M.V. Reassessment Bad News – Meeting Told!
By David Blair
SCRAM Committee Chairman
On Tuesday April 25, 1995, your Federation held an information meeting at Midhurst on Market Value Assessment (MVA) and Market Value Reassessment, to which representatives from ratepayers’ associations across Simcoe County had been invited.
In attendance were representatives from over half of the towns and townships that comprise Simcoe County. Also in attendance were our Mayor, Anthony Lancia, and Councillors, Evelyn Klym and Susan Kronschnabl. Our program consisted of speeches from four informative speakers:
• Walter Pridham, a resident of Tiny Township, described how MVA and Market Value Reassessment work. He highlighted the unfairness of the MVA tax system and explained the process of automatic four year reassessment. Walter concluded that we are in favour or retaining the present system, leaving control at the municipal level until there is an overhaul of the whole tax system.
• Dr. Peter Tomlinson (Director of Economic Development for the City of Toronto) explained the MVA system and process over which Metropolitan Toronto has struggled for the last thirteen years. He explained the inequities and the resulting political indecisiveness. Dr. Tomlinson, who served on the property tax committee of the Ontario Fair Tax Commission, stressed its recommendation that education should be funded from general provincial revenues (as done in other provinces), not from property taxes.
• Janet Peake, Municipal Councillor, Township of Lake of Bays, District of Muskoka, gave us the benefit of her adverse Market Value Reassessment experience. She reported that 71% of all property owners received tax increases of which one out of four received over a 50% tax increase. Many people saw their property taxes double. She said MVA is a “flawed system” which is “inherently unstable”. “Do everything you can to stop Market Value Reassessment.”
• Our Federation President, Al Taylor, then described an Action Plan for the People Against Market Value Reassessment. He encouraged people to ask the candidates about tax reform and the recommendations of the Ontario Fair Tax Commission at all candidates meetings during the Provincial Election Campaign. He also encouraged those present to ensure they exert their influence with their municipal Council to vote against Market Value Reassessment at the Municipal level first, in order to defeat it before it ever reaches the County level for a vote.
Al closed the meeting with a question and answer session.
All present were given a package including the Federation’s 14 page information booklet on MVA and Market Value Reassessment. (It is reproduced in its entirety on page 8.) This booklet was prepared by your Federation for the Simcoe County Residents Against Market value reassessment (SCRAM). Please reproduce it and give it as wide a circulation as possible. It is available from the Federation, in booklet form, for $2.00 (or $3.50 by mail). If reproducing, please credit the Federation.