The Green Party has presented a tax plan it says will help Saint John’s financial situation.
Leader David Coon and finance critic Kevin Arseneau said there proposing a change to allow industrial property tax rates to exceed the current limit of 1.7 times the residential rate while creating more property tax classes.
Coon hopes this will ensure that all types of properties are paying their fair share.
“Municipal council and staff have made it clear that the provincial government must remove the barriers that Saint John faces to collecting a fair share of tax revenue from large corporations,” said Coon.
“The Liberals and Conservatives may not be listening, but as Greens, we believe that decisions should be made locally. It’s time for the provincial government to get out of the way.”
The Green Party says currently one property tax rate applies to all non-residential property owners in Saint John, from a barber shop to the oil refinery.
“Enough is enough, for years Liberal and Conservative governments have talked about fixing Saint John’s financing issues without taking any action to fix the root problems,” said Arseneau.
“It is time to give the City of Saint John the power it needs to ensure all property owners are taxed fairly.”
