Hazel & I Agree. Miller Got Conned By McGinty,,,,

.....and Lastman and Miller conned the citizenry of Toronto with no new property tax years. Property taxes, residential & commercial, should truly reflect what it costs to run the city rather than hide behind tax increases based on inflation. If they truly reflected the cost of running the city the mayor and city council would have to justify how they are spending our money.

Miller messed up: Hazel TheStar.com - GTA - Miller messed up: Hazel

Toronto mayor began too late justifying tax hikes to residents, McCallion chides

September 19, 2007

Phinjo Gombu
Staff Reporter

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion says the criticism Toronto's mayor is facing over community centre cutbacks is the result of not doing his homework before proposing new taxes to solve the budget crisis.

McCallion told the Star's editorial board yesterday that Mayor David Miller failed to explain to citizens the potential impact of service cuts before he tried – and failed – to get council to approve new taxes, and he is now trying to do so after the fact.

"Before you go and say, `I want more money,' you'll say, `I've looked at this service ... there's duplication here, or could be savings here,'" McCallion said, describing how Miller should have done things.

"Then you go to the people and say, `Look, we've looked at our entire operation and we think we can get these savings, but we still need (this) amount of money for us to continue to give you the services you need.'

"(Miller) is doing it now, after he went to the people and asked for a tax increase," McCallion said. "That's the cart before the horse, in my opinion."

McCallion's harsh words on Miller's handling of Toronto's fiscal woes came on a day when it appeared unlikely he would garner enough support to hold an emergency debate this week on two controversial taxes worth $356 million a year.

The debate was deferred in July until October. Miller had hoped to propose that some services could be restored if the taxes were approved.

McCallion expressed sympathy for Toronto and the fiscal challenges forced on it by the province's hurried amalgamation of five cities. But she also said Toronto is a victim of its own choices.

She suggested the city was duped into welcoming new taxing powers when Queen's Park drew up the City of Toronto Act – powers not given to other municipalities.

"I don't want any more ability to tax people," McCallion said, saying she prefers to rely solely on the property tax base – but with all the costs of downloaded social, health and other provincially mandated services removed from it.

"If you go to the province and say you need help, they'll say, `You have the right to tax , go ahead. Raise the money that way.'

"Toronto fell for it."

Mississauga's long-time mayor also said that Toronto's politicians, going back to Mel Lastman, contributed to the city's current fiscal woes by promising the impossible – namely that they would not raise residential property taxes.