'Think like business owners': Saskatoon business group urges city council to reduce property tax hike
With city councillors beginning budget deliberations this week, a Saskatoon business group is calling for a reduction in the proposed property tax rate hike.
In the preliminary two-year budget prepared by City of Saskatoon administrative staff, property taxes are proposed to increase 3.51 per cent in 2022 and 3.14 per cent in 2023.
The budget still must be approved by city council and councillors can make tweaks to the proposed financial plan.
As they make their final decisions, the North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA) is asking councillors to "think like business owners" and find ways to reduce property taxes.
"The NSBA commends the efforts taken to reduce the proposed tax increase from the indicative budget in August, and we appreciate the time and effort put into the 2022/2023 budget," NSBA executive director Keith Moen said in a news release.
"But we would suggest that the city must make further efforts to reduce taxes even more," Moen said.
Earlier this year, city administration recommended higher property tax increases of 5.96 per cent and 5.42 per cent in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
City councillors directed administration to find ways to whittle down the hike.
According to the NSBA, the rise in property taxes in recent years "has grown at a significantly higher rate than the consumer price index (CPI)."
The CPI is calculated by Statistics Canada and tracks changes in price as experienced by Canadian consumers.
The NSBA is recommending the city consider steps including a hiring freeze across all departments, excluding Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department.
"It would be a win for the city and our economy if the council and administration could reduce property tax from the proposed 3.51 per cent increase to something at, near or below the CPI, just like our neighbours in the cities of Edmonton and Winnipeg have," Moen said.
Tax increases were held to tax increases 70 1.8 per cent in Edmonton and 2.3 per cent in Winnipeg, according to Moen.
City council is set to debate the budget during three days of meetings starting on Monday.
The NSBA has outlined its recommendations in a formal submission to council.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.