Proposed tax hike in Saskatoon draws criticism from pundits
Tax increases proposed on Wednesday for Saskatoon’s next multi-year budget are drawing criticism from the business community.
The proposed increases are intended to address a funding gap of more than $52 million in 2024 and another $23 million in 2025. The city's chief financial officer called it “pretty unprecedented.”
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the city needs to adopt a culture of cutting and saving money. Spokesperson Todd MacKay suggests city councillors may have to prepare for painful cuts.
“A big part of the problem is that the government is not looking for ways to save money, it needs to do more work to do that. Thats the fundamental problem, and before they even floated this number, they needed to gain some credibility by making some tough decisions like every single family has done in their home budgets,” said MacKay.
Mayor Charlie Clark defended the city’s position in an interview with CTV Morning Live, citing residual costs from the pandemic, and weakened buying power from inflation that accounts for more than $30 million in the budget deficit.
Clark does say that closing the funding gap will likely result in noticeable cuts in services.
“The challenge is we’ve already been trying to lean down the city, and we’re already the most competitive city when it comes to commercial taxes in the country, for example,” said Clark.
“We don’t have a lot of room to cut without having an impact on citizens in their day to day life.”
The Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce says inflation can’t be the only issue, since cities with the same challenges like Edmonton and Calgary have run a budget surplus.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'