The Rural Voice, 1978-10, Page 16Opinion
Dissenters on tax proposal should speak up
1By Adrian Vos]
At the Ontario Federation of Agriculture's Board of Directors
meeting, the report of the Special Committee on Property
Taxation was presented. The response appeared to be
uncertainty and indecision on how to proceed further.
The committee recommended that the long term policy with
regard to property taxation should remain unchanged. This
policy says that so-called soft taxes, such as welfare and
education related taxes, should be levied from income taxes:
That productive value should be the criteria for assessing
farms and that the residence be included in the total farm
assessment.
And that the value of the residence should be related to the
value of the farm unit and not to nearby residential areas.
Ronald Jones of Simcoe County. who is the chairman of the
committee, pointed out that the Ontario government has
definitely rejected this concept as too difficult to implement has
stopped considering it.
The alternate position of the OFA, developed after the
government was preparing to implement the Blair Commission
report, which would have placed a lien on the land by having the
government pay the farm taxes, is as follows:
1. The principle of the Assessment Act dealing with
productive value, be confirmed with government.
2. The land and building components of the farm assessed as
above, be declared non-taxable assessment and supported by
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' RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1978
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3. The province pay the municipalities unconditional grants.
equal to the figure had the non-taxable assessment been taxed.
4. The residual assessment. being the difference between the
land and farm buildings. and the total property value as
determined by productive value -assessment. be taxed as all.
other residences. and with the owner paying the tax.
The main difference with the Blair Commission proposals is
that the government would not pay the taxes and thus would
have no lien on the farm.
This proposal was accepted by the OFA Board of Directors,
but a subsequent revolt by the Huron County Federation led to
the formation of the special committee. One of the opponents of
the alternate proposal. Jim McIntosh of Huron County, was
named to the committee.
Having been reassured as to the threat to ownership, there
remained some nagging concerns such as:
Public reaction to the taxfree status of land, particularly with
regard to trespassing and the possible threat of increasing
purchases of land by speculators and foreign investors. These
people would be encouraged to neglect buildings and remove
them altogether. This way they would enjoy a taxfree status.
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