Monthly Archives: April 2010

RCMP mount up for checkstop season

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‘Tis the season for family gatherings, celebrations and checkstops.

Manitoba’s RCMP detachments begin their annual Christmas checkstop campaign today, joining other police agencies in the province, including Winnipeg police.

The RCMP campaign runs until Jan. 4. Officers will be looking for impaired drivers and people who aren’t wearing a seatbelt in locations across Manitoba. Police are urging people to buckle up and not get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking.

Tories propose land-tax relief

The Manitoba Tories proposed a new law yesterday that would exempt first-time home buyers from the land transfer tax.

Tory finance critic Rick Borotsik introduced a private member’s bill yesterday that would allow anyone who had not previously owned a property, or whose spouse has not previously owned a property, to be exempt from paying the tax, which usually adds a few thousand dollars to a real estate purchase. Borotsik said his bill has the support of realtors’ associations in the province.

Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk suggested the bill won’t make the cut as their focus has been on personal income tax and school tax.

Fire victim identity confirmed

Police have confirmed the victim of a fatal house fire in Winnipeg earlier this week is a widower whose wife died last spring.

Millard Haluk, 71, and his pet dog died in the blaze, which was accidental, police said. A fire official previously said the cause was electrical in nature. The fire, at Haluk’s Elmwood home at 598 Talbot Ave., was reported Monday at 6:50 a.m.

Haluk’s body was found near the back of the house on the main floor. It appeared the fire started at the rear.

Friends said Haluk was a hoarder who collected so many objects there was little room to move in the home.

This raised questions whether the home’s condition prevented his escape. Damage is estimated at $250,000, police said.

Friends said Haluk had been heartbroken and depressed since his 62-year-old wife, June, died in May.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2009/12/04/12033021-sun.html

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Tax relief for cottagers proposed

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The Manitoba government introduced legislation Friday aimed at helping Manitobans who own cottages manage escalating property taxes.

The Cottage Property Tax Increase Deferral Act was introduced by Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk.

The act would create a cottage property tax deferral program for cottage owners whose property values skyrocketed as a result of the 2010 general reassessment. It would allow Manitobans to apply to defer payment of their property tax increases for 2010 and 2011.
The provincial government would pay the tax increase to the municipality on behalf of the cottage owner. A cottage owner would then repay the province the amount of deferred taxes, plus interest charged at a nominal rate, when the property is sold or the owner dies.

Applications for the cottage property tax deferral program would be available prior to owners receiving their 2010 property tax bills.

The Manitoba government bills the tax deferral as a way to keep Manitoba’s image as an affordable recreation destination, but critics say it only highlights the unfairness of the province’s taxation system.

The Manitoba Association of Cottage Owners and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation say if the province really wants to ease the tax burden on cottage owners, it should take education taxes off the property tax bill and fund schools solely through personal income taxes.

Cottage owners on Lake Winnipeg were hit last spring by an eye-popping rise in property values as a result of the most recent provincial reassessment. Victoria Beach cottage owners face an average value increase of 92 per cent, based on market prices in April 2008. The previous assessment was based on 2003 values.

Cottage values went up 79 per cent in Winnipeg Beach and 60 per cent in the Rural Municipality of Gimli, compared to an overall percentage increase of 46 per cent in the value of all single-family dwellings outside Winnipeg.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/tax-relief-for-cottagers-proposed-78587417.html

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Tax cap in jeopardy

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Concern over diluting key municipal services may trump fiscal restraint, warn city politicians as they begin to crunch budget numbers today.

Despite a 5% cap imposed on next year’s property tax hike, Coun. Don Iveson said council will still have to perform a budget balancing act to ensure city services aren’t neglected while trying to keep the numbers low.

And that may mean tinkering with the self-imposed tax ceiling.

“I think we may wind up higher than 5%,” Iveson said.

“It was a good place to start, but we know there would have to be cutbacks in police and other areas that council won’t be prepared to cut so there may be a few careful additions.”

Administration has already looked at trimming hours and maintenance at city-owned facilities as well as jacking user fees in hopes of reducing the hit on homeowners.

City cops have warned they may have to put off hiring more officers while the Edmonton Public Library has suggested it may have to scale back branch hours or even close a branch to meet the tight budget restrictions.

Council will mull a leaner budget than previous years that calls for a 3%, or $25 million, increase in operating expenses while adding a 2% levy to boost the city’s neighbourhood renewal program by an additional $16.7 million.

Should council stay at the 5% cap, the typical household would see its property taxes increase by $70 next year, not including utilities, to pay for the proposed $1.4 billion budget.

Coun. Ron Hayter said despite high demands for services, council has to be cautious with the public purse in a faltering economy.

“The 5% has to be the goal — whether we achieve that is another thing,” he said, noting there’s more sensitivity among his council colleagues with a civic election looming next fall.

“And if we can’t do that, we’ll have to face the music in the upcoming election.”

Hayter said there are some areas, such as transportation and social services, that are already cut to the bone and would suffer with more cuts. But he wouldn’t tip his hand as to what departments he believes could be slashed prior to budget talks.

Scott Hennig, of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, gave failing marks to the city’s efforts at budgetary thrift, noting even if council stays within the 5% cap, it will still be more than 10 times higher than Edmonton’s inflation rate, which sagged to under half a per cent in 2009.

“The cost of living has stayed basically frozen and that means wages have likely followed suit. But the city government seems to be taking significantly more,” Hennig said, refusing to accept the argument that some services can’t face more cuts.

“When they say their hands are tied, it’s because they’ve tied their own hands.”

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/11/10/11693411-sun.html

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