Miller prevails at last
Oct. 23
After bullying taxpayers and resorting to strong-arm tactics with a mealy-mouthed city council, Mayor David Miller has certainly prevailed – for the time being. Homebuyers and car owners will have to dig deep into their pockets and fork out tax money lest they suffer drastic cuts to community services. It was political blackmail at its best.
It was also a cynical argument, for Miller's incompetence in handling the city budget stands in stark contrast to his uncanny ability to find piles of cash to provide generous salary raises for himself and for councillors at taxpayers' expense.
Meanwhile, taxpayers have been put on notice that Miller will gouge them again. Sooner rather than later, the mayor and his cohorts will impose new taxes in order to cover the city's remaining budget shortfall. Is there no end to this nonsense? Of course there is. Taxpayers have long memories, and Miller's term at city hall is doomed. Hopefully the next mayor and council will have a better sense of business.
If those running Toronto worked in the corporate sector, they would have been fired long ago.
Pastor Valle-Garay, Maple, Ont.
I am insulted by the increasingly condescending tone Mayor David Miller has taken with Torontonians. He has spoken as if most homeowners are oblivious to the real costs of living and are acting like spoiled children. Where is he living? Living in Toronto is extremely expensive as it is, and residents have seen increasing cuts to public services.
However, we have a jewel of a city during a time when Canada is seen as an excellent investment worldwide. The new land transfer tax is a deterrent for development. Miller chastised all who felt overwhelmed by more taxes.
I never believed we could have a great city for free. The mayor should not assume that because one does not agree with his solution, one is a spoiled urbanite oblivious to the costs of public services.
Janis Rosen, Toronto
A year from now, we will be talking about how quickly the real estate market in Toronto cooled down after the great wisdom of Mayor David Miller triumphed; how he prevailed in allowing the suburbs to boom as new homebuyers rush to buy outside the city to avoid the land transfer tax – thus creating more sprawl; how the tax base is being eroded, resulting in even higher taxes for Torontonians; how the roads are becoming even more clogged and pollution is increasing.
Yes, he prevailed in creating even more problems for Toronto. Is there no end to the wisdom of our elected politicians?
Darlene Besant, Toronto
While the left-wingers on city council and their beloved mayor, David Miller, think they did the right thing by putting a huge new tax on homebuyers, they in fact have created a large cost for current homeowners. I'm sure every homeowner in Toronto would rather pay higher property taxes than have the value of their property go down by 10 per cent – a conservative estimate. So instead of paying $500 more in taxes, the homeowner who was paying below-market taxes for their $500,000 house will now sustain a loss of $50,000.
Ross Quantz, Mississauga
Keeping the perks and the higher wages they helped themselves to, and overlooking their in-house excesses at the cost of an added tax burden on the citizens of Toronto, does not sound dissimilar to Marie Antoinette's "eat cake" view that sparked the French Revolution. This is most revolting.
Cyril Abraham, Whitby
1 comment:
yea ok.
Let's see how the 'run like rats to the suburbs' go come this spring when home buying season is in full swing here downtown.
I'll be sure to link back to this then!
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