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The Brussels Post, 1978-02-15, Page 25Phone 887.9445 I BRUSSELS We Deliver Schneider's Red Hots or All Beef WE1NERS lb. pkg. 89 4 Schneider's NEW Ha' NUGGETS 40 • 1977 - NOva 6 cylinder automatic power steering 1976 Olds '98 loaded, 1976 Olds Royale loaded 1976 Cutlass Supreme, 2 dr. hard top 1976 Chev. Belaire 2 dr. hardtop 1975 Chev Biscayne, four door 1975 Olds Cutlass, four door 1974 Olds Royale Four door 1974 Impala Station wagon 1974 Pontiac Le Mans station wagon SPECIAL This Week 1973 Chevelle 4 door Sedan V8 Aut. power stecring,, brakes, only $ 1 , 995 J.L.McCUTCHEON Chev: MOTORS Olds Brussels 887-6856 STEPHENSON'S Bakery Grocery Shirriff JELLY DESSERT 8_. 4/83' Stokley CREAM CORN 398.141,2/894i KRAFT DINNER /06;3/85' ORANGE JUICE :CHEESE SLICES Chstpmans & Clover ICE CREAM 2 Lint 994. Phone 887-9226 Free. De liver), 13v151. 59 4 227 g. Thins it's / 7 24.--THE BRUSSELS POST, FEBRUARY 15, 1978 Huron, reeves reject market value assessment (Continued from paw I) inequities, "But we need' assurance that the grants in lieu' of taxes on the farmland are unconditional..,' Two.• representatives from - Treasury, 'Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs (TEIGA), Jane Marlatt Pual Knox/ each said the payments would be made to municipalities by government in lieu, of taxes on farmland "no strings attached". "This is a property. tax system" pointed out Marlatt. "It • is. not land control or even farm production control.," What more, it was pointed-out by. Marlatt and Knox that an independent farmer doeS have the option to pay all the property taxes connected with his farm. , Council learned there will he a date by which a farmer will have to notify the municipal clerk that he wishes to pay his total tax bill, and the accounts will be sent to him as is' now happening. Where Does the Money Come From "lf you don't have taxes on fai-mland, yliere are you going to. get the money?" asked Reeve Harold. Robinson of Howick Township. Knox and Marlatt said the -whole system would be revamped, including the grant systemrhey said the inequitieS in the distribution . of provincial grants had been pinpointed b y government, and that proposed property tax reform would correct this unfair. . system which • distributes at least • half of the province's total assistance to local governments on the basis of assessment. The '•TEIGA representatives said that in the case of HUron County where there is a large amount of farmland, there was every liklihood : that. money would some from outside the county to pay the costs of farmland taxes. Municipalities throughout Ontario with very. high population , in other winds, would probably experience lower grants and that the money that is saved would be applied to areas like Huron where there is a great deal of farmland and low population. ''It is all part of the proposed tax reform in Ontario", said Marlatt. ''It's clear where the money i5 coming from," said Cal Krauter, reeve of Brussels "The small businessman is going to pay more." John Stafford, Deputy Reeve of Howick gave his idea of where the money 'was coining from. - "It all comes out of the same pants," he said pointing to his pockets. "It might come from this one or this cone!, but the same fellow is going to pay," RP.Nre. Stecklp said this was -no solution at all, ACcording to him, the main problem is that farmers are not getting what they should for their produce. `Well produce all the food you want and we'll produce it at a reasonable price," he..said, "Let us pay our own taxes. That's the, most soluble solution." Warden Gerry Ginn said he did not dispute Reeve ,Steekie's argUMent in principle, but pointed out that in actual fact, it would just never work. He said if Canadian farmers were to be. paid on the basis of what the food they produced was worth, the Canadian Public and food consumers in other countries would just not buy it. According to Warden Ginn, the farmers in the United States are "subsidized to tre hilt - and would be able to sell their products much cheaper. "People should pay for people services and the land should pay for services to the land," said Reeve Stafford,. referring to a combination of property tax figured on a per capita assessment basis and on a property assessment basis. . Warden Ginn reminded Reeve Stafford Huron County is already' doing that for the purpose of the county assessment. . "As far as 1 knoww6e the only' county in Ontario that does that," the -Warden said. A spokesman from the Huron County Federation of Agriculture was in the audience, and said that Ontario citizens in general did not seem partial to the idea of people paying for people • services (Health, welfare, library, schools etc.) and land paying for services' to property (roads, planning etc.) AsseSsment should be based on the productive values of land, he said. The F of A has approved the proposal for market value .assessment, but feel there must be some .qualifications put on it. What is a Farmer? The representatives from' TEIGA told council the government is looking to the Ontario Federation of .Agriculture, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for a definition of a bona fide farmer. So far, they said,t he government says that anyone who earns $2,000 -or more from the farm is a farmer. "There is just a bottom limit," said Jane Marlatt. "There's no acreage limit. All we really ask it, is the -land being used for agrieulture purposes," . It was- explained that even farmland owned by developers who maintain the land in active agriculture production will have taxes paid by the government on farmland. Such payments, the TEIGA people said, would be recovered through the Land Speculation. Act. If a speculator bought some land, got somebody to farm it, had the land taxes paid by government and then sold the land, undeveloped, it would be subject to Land Speculation Tax. Only when farmland is sold farmer to farmer does the unconditional grant clause apply. "Farmland is subject to tax at 100 percent of market value to speculators," said Knox, pointing out the tax reform is just another way to protect agricultural land and to keep Ontario's farmland in prodUction. No clear definition was given concerning what would happen if a farmer sold his land to a person who developed a farm related manufacturing or retail business. Assessor Speaks W.F. Jenkins, assessment commissioner for. the Huron Perth region, said there would be a differential between the value of a farm house and a similar house in an urban-area or in a rural area on a severed lot. He said there is no way a farm house attached to a farm could be as valuable as a similar house elsewhere. The amount of land which would be attached to the farm- house buildings and upon which the farmer would pay property taxes would be "the amount of land necessary to utilize a farm residence' according to Jenkins. In most cases, that would be between one and two acres, said Jenkins, but when a house is built in a centre of a farm which is occasionally discovered, the extra property would be drawn into the assessment figures. Mayor Deb Shewfelt of Goderich, also a' member of the Association of Municipalities in Ontario, said he was concerned that when market value assessment begins, the people of Ontario will be treated fairly. "There will be specific problems," said Mayor Shewfelt. "How do wt deal with our people, to make sure they are treated fairly? Jenkins advised that plans are already afoot for open house gathe'rings 'at the assessment offices across the province when market value assessment is instituted. He,said people will be encouraged to attend these sessions, and to have their rights and their questions explajned to. them. Wilmer Handy, clerk of Colborne' Township, was one of many municipal employees in the audience at the February session of county council. He said he saw the new proposals as double the work for clerks and, municipal tax collectors, Jenkins said the municipality would be advised by the assessment office just how much farmland in the municipality would come under the govern- ment's jUrisdiction as far as tax payment is concerned, and that would be applied for in a "lump sum". Other tax bills to farmers would go out as usual - and would contain the assessment on their home and other buildings, any tile drainage costs that may be applicable and, in the case of farmers who choose to pay the tax on the land, the assessment for the land. Ervin Sillery, reeve of Tuckersmith, said it really broiled down to whether farmers were going to pay land tax or income tax. "It appears the farmers want to be independent," said Elsa Haydon, a visiting councillor from the Town of Goderich. "I rather sympathize with the farmers. Somebody somewhere-is forcing upon farmers something they do not want. Who benefits from forcing the farmers into a situation they are not . happy about?" A recorded, vote tallied 28 - 19 against the recommendation of the executive committee to ask the provincial government to implement market value assessment and property tax reform at the earliest possible date. Those opposed were C.W.Bray,' Allan Campbell, Ken Campbell, Bill Pale, Murray Dawson, Cecil Desjardine, Norman Durst, Bill Elston, John Flannery, Simon Hallahan, Cal Krauter, Bob Lyons, J..F. MacDonald, Ralph McNichol, Torn Miller, Harold Robinson, Erwin Sillery, John Stafford, Paul :St'eckle, John Tinney, Roy Williamson and Waren Zinn. Abse nt from the meeting were Claire Deichert, Don E.adie, Harold Elliott, Joe Flunking, John Jewitt, .Harold Knight, Don McGregor, Ed Oddleifson and Cy Simmons.