HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-09-05, Page 3By Nettle Stoke
A convoy of campers. ruailers.
avails and people crept slowly dowry:
Queen Street in Ki dune, August
22 to protest an ann uneentent that
seasone1 trailers would be assessed
its permanent structures of issueda
lice permit fee,
About 200 campers and
campgrrauiutdR owners picketed in
front of Bruce MPPMuaray
Elston's office to protest the move
by
the of Revenue sin:
trounced June 9. The announcement
was not known by the Ontario
•Private ' Campground Association
(OPCA) until. early July.
The assessment :would come into
affect for seasonal trailers in all
trailer parks, municipal, provincial
and private ;can Tan. 1,1991.
Campers and: campgrounds
owners are demanding . the as-
sessment tax be revoked and an
agreement, made in the fall of
1989, befinalized before the Sept,
6 election. They; waited in front of
Elston's office for about an howl
anda half but he. didn't show up.
Blston's. spokesperson Rod Mac-
Donald said August 24 that
seasonal trailers will be exempt
from theassessment;tax.
But he said the definition between
a permanent and seasonal nailer has
yet to be determined.
Mrs . MacDonald said; OPCA.
President Bill Jay has been assured
by theTourism
Ministry of . and
Recreation ' 'and time Ministry of
Revenue that no changes :will be
LUCK Ow
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th
Rally Day
Awards for children
Everyone Welcome
+w$I `$ ""--Pose$
--Campers protest assessment tax
put into place without consultation
with the ;association.•
Second of four rallies
`11 a rally was one of four planned
to protest :the assessment tax. The
first weaned on the .weekend of
August 17 when about 300 campers
picketed in Swi,Ie Beach. The next
protest was August 27 at -the
Ministry of Revenue officer m
Leamington and then August atC,Sieeji's Parse.
A letter from revenue minister
Remo Mancini to George Wands,
president of the, Saable Beach
Property Owners Association Inc.,.
i'une23 said the assessment tax will
affect seasonal trailers .that, are
permanently attached to land, Other,
seasonal trailers wouldbe charged
a $50 licence permit fee pending, as
decision to do. ser--; IN each,
rnuniccipality, the letter said..
OF'CA presider Bill Jay said
there is no legislation to •allow sa
licence fee, referring, to a statement,
made by :tourism and recreation
minister Ken Black.
At the rally, Richard McArthur,
owner . of • Fisherman's Cove
Cnmpgl+ound..near Kincardine, said
campers and owners are protesting
the new tax because they are al.
ready being • taxed too much on the
purchase of their trailers, .Loynd,..
businesses and by the new goods
and services tax (GST).
The director, with the OPCA,-Mrr..
McArthuur,. said he and director John
Stewart organized the rallies against
LUCKNOW CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Invites You; To Worship Wish lition CM
Sunday, Sept.mnbur 9, i990
10 d.m..and 7.30 p.m.
Nursf ry downdt.i►s morning
envous; wticoME
the assessment tsar;.
Mx. McArthur said the ministry
has been trying to asses trailers for
the past throe years and new that
that as an electron, the minist is
trying, to push the tax through.
"Anything that looks permanent,
they (Ministry of Revenue) want to
assess; he said,
Mr. Jay said': guidelines set out by
the ministry show a trailer :qualified
. for the assesstxicnt ta* is one that is,
connected to hydro, sewa,ae and
water, is stabilized by block0 and
has a deck, carport, garage or an
aadaltiona1 room.
He said the tutelary can't en-
nounte an assessment tax because it
doesn't, know if it can legally issue
the. tax. Mr. Jay said a 1986 Grand
Bend court claim on assessment
that Was lost by carepers is now
under appeal in London. The case
&.expected to be heard in October.
Stowing . how . the assessment taut
will affect campers and campground
tweets, Mr. McArthur said a park
in'Saublo Beach was assessed four
years ago on 149 trailers. The a.
sessment ream tie owner would
have been taxed a total of $10;000.
This, new. billmust be, passedaver
to the camper.
Mr. McArthur said seasonal rates
arc currently between $600 and
'$1,000 which goes up annually
anyway, ' The increase would be
greater, by another $300 if
campgrounds were assessed on'.their.
seasonal trailers and if the GST was
added, he said
People will sell their trailers; he
Had an agreement fleitlised
Mr. McArthur said the OPCA hod
finalized an agreement with the
Miinistry of Revenue in fire fall of
1989 for a new lot licences fee to ,be
purchased by the camper. The
of ng eaa ernt was a#so with the
Ministry of Municipal'Affairs, the
Ministry of Tourism and Recreation
and the Association of
• Municipalities ' of Ontario (AMO),,
But, the Minisstryr of Revenue sud-
denly reused the ,proal and
came upwith the assessment tax.
The' 1989' . agreement meant
campers would have to pay an
annual $00 sticker fee for a
seasonal lot, a' system already used
in Florida, he said.
The campgnrund' association first.
heard of the new assessment tax in
June : when various trailer vides
• including Green. Acres- Park . in
Waterloo, . Highland 'Fines
Campground- and Windmill Park
were advised assessors would be
visiting.
After some confusion and letters,
the campground association finally
discovered, the assessment fax and
licence fee were first announce
June 9 by the Ministry of Revenue.
The ministry sent a document ro
regional assessment offices called
Guidelines for the Assessment and.
Licensing of Seasonal Trailers
advising them of the new,
agreement,.
Mc Jay said 23 cents of every
dollar would go to the municipality
under the new assessment tax and
most of the rest would go bade to
the government.
"The province is grabbing sn large
amount of taxdollars; he said,
adding the assessment tax is a
"dinner ito the industry" and
campground owners will become:
taus collectors,
Encourage* people to
move around
Former Aintree Trailer Park
owner. Tom Boyer said the new tax
will ericosamge people to move: so
they don't have to pay" the tax,
'The signs say . it, enough is.
enough," he said.
Niagara Falis Wiper flab Barger.
who was campingat Fisherman's
Cove last.: week said, "it's another
tax, surely: there's got to :1e a limit
or an end." He said the government
has imposed enough taxes, adding
there should be a responsible
government instead.
Tom. Dickson, owner of Happy
Hollow Campgr+oundiin Port Albert,
said he pays high enough taxes, on
lots and services. He said a'miler
owner must pay. a: sales tax and
GST on purchasing a trailer begin-
ning January. 1, 1991, and "that's
highrienough."
We' (campground owners) have
to collect tax at different times than
when the lots are due. We collect,
when die mill rate comes,. from the
'liirn to' page 5 .
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