The Rural Voice, 1989-08, Page 7644610th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1 P9
519-364-3050
• The Rural Voice is provided to all Grey
County Farmers by the GCFA.
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
The provincial government has put
the squeeze on Ontario farmers again.
There will be no interim tax rebate pay-
ment and the whole property tax rebate
system may go out the window. The
government has decided on its own to
change the guidelines.
The new criteria for the program
include the provision that the property
owner must farm at least a portion of the
property to get the tax rebate. This will
cut out all rented land where there is an
absentee owner who can't or won't help
farm the land. That same absentee
owner will likely charge more for rent to
cover expenses as a result of the lost
property tax rebate. This in turn will
increase the farmer's costs in an already
unpredictable business.
The rebate is also going to be af-
fected by off -farm income. If the land-
owner earns more than $40,000 off the
farm, the rebate will be reduced five per
cent per thousand dollars — or no rebate
over $60,000.
In my opinion, the government
should not disqualify property owners
from collecting the tax rebate because
they have a high -paying off -farm job. If
the farmer can meet the gross produc-
tion requirements on the farm as well as
hold the off -farm job, then more power
to him.
The property tax rebate was intro-
duced back in the early 1970s because
the property -based tax system placed an
unfair burden on the farm landowner.
The govemment of the day was unable
to make any reform other than to provide
the rebate. Now taxes are increasing,
and it also appears that the tax rebate for
a certain portion of Ontario farmers will
be lost.
I don't know of any other sector in
our society that takes more knocks than
the farmer. If we gain a little on the one
hand, it always appears that we lose
twice as much on the other, between
unpredictable markets, higher taxes and
interest, or cancelled programs. It is no
74 THE RURAL VOICE
PROPERTY TAX REBATE
by Dave Clarke
Executive Director, GCFA
wonder there are getting to be fewer
farmers, what with the high input costs
and low returns, let alone the govern-
ment regulations.
Now is the time for Ontario farmers
to stand together. Now is the time to
support the Ontario Federation of Agri-
culture in its fight to keep our farm tax
rebate system as it was in 1988, with a
100 per cent rebate for those who meet
the gross production requirements and
the two -payment system. We need
negotiations before changes are made,
not after the government has made them
on its own.
The government must realize how
important the farming industry is to the
Ontario economy.
Support the OFA and your local
county federation by writing your local
MPP and the Minister of Agriculture
expressing your concems.0
GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURE
TOWNSHIP REPRESENTATIVES 1988-.89
Artemesia
Bentinck
Collingwood
Derby
Egremont
Euphrasia
Glenelg
Holland
Keppel -Sarawak
Normanby
Osprey
Proton
St. Vincent
Sullivan
Sydenham
Ron Odell
Doug Reay
Ken Rice
John Verdonk
Karl Braeker
Darryl Pink
Dave Kennedy
Alex Torrie
Stuart Bergstra
Matt Jacobs
Laurie Wickens
Grant Preston
Wayne Cramp
Keith Elder
Irvin Vanwyck
R. R. 3, Priceville
R. R. 3, Hanover
R. R. 1, Clarksburg
R. R. 4, Tara
R. R. 4, Durham
R. R. 2, Markdale
R. R. 6, Markdale
R. R. 5, Chatsworth
R. R. 1, Shallow Lake
R. R. 2, Ayton
R. R. 4, Flesherton
R. R. 1, Proton Station
R. R. 2, Meaford
R. R. 4, Chesley
R. R. 2, Annan
NOC 1 K0 924-2946
N4N 3B9 369-5240
NOH 1J0 599-5155
NOH 2N0 376-9541
NOG IRO 334-3548
NOC 1H0 986-3648
NOC 1H0 986-2759
NOH 1G0 794-2674
NOH 2K0 935-2534
NOG 1CO 665-2214
NOC 1E0 922-2583
NOC 1 LO 923-6341
NOH 1Y0 538-1023
NOG 1LO 363-6735
NOH I BO 376-1064
pr994.„..
DERAT.ION EXECU.T.I
:1988-89
Past President Murray Clarke
President Lorne Eccles
1st Vice -President Elmer Scarrow
2nd Vice -President Allan Kinney
Executive Directors
George Black, Dave Clarke,
Agnes Diemert, and Arnold Oliver
Secretary -Treasurer Donna Spitzig
Field Representative Gertie Blake
Regional Directors
Donna Vanderham,
Clay Schwegler, Bill Pullen