I Promise More Transparency & Openess At City Hall......

......at least that is what Comrade Miller promised. I would hazard a guess that many people doubt this promise is being kept based on the evidence to the contrary that has been exposed lately.

T.O. taxpayers will pay more despite cuts: Shiner

toronto.ctv.ca

A Toronto councillor is warning residents about mounting tax increases as the city's budget committee sat down Monday to debate the 2008 operating budget.

Coun. David Shiner, who served as budget chair under former mayor Mel Lastman, said the budget has too many "secret" elements.

The comments came after current budget chief Shelley Carroll asked staff to calculate how much of a tax increase it would be to keep garbage fees under the property tax bill as opposed to moving it to the utilities bill as planned.

She asked the question to make a point that moving garbage fees from one bill to another would save taxpayers money.

Moving garbage fees from the property tax bill resulted in taxpayers paying $209 less each year although a property tax increase of $3.75 per cent will tack on an extra $80.

Shiner argued that while taxpayers may pay less on their property tax bill they shouldn't be fooled because they will still be paying for garbage fees on their user-fee generated utilities bill.

Under a new system adopted by councillors, Torontonians will pay for their garbage in accordance with how much waste they throw out. People who throw out a minimal amount of garbage would pay $199 a year, rather than $209 on the previous plan.

Shiner said the $10 difference isn't much of a savings at all, especially when taxpayers consider all the other increases they've been handed in this budget.

"Again I look at it today and I see it's a hidden and secret budget," he told CTV Toronto during a break in the meeting.

"Our snow clearing services are cut -- that's like a tax increase. We're raising the rates in our water by 9 per cent. That's another increase. We're charging more in our parks and for our parks programs and just to use the soccer fields. That's another tax increase," he said.

"Everything here is hidden away. It's time to be honest with the citizens of Toronto. There are more secrets here than we can possibly find out about in this budget and it's absolutely ridiculous."

Further discussion on the budget is scheduled for Thursday in council chambers.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Alicia Kay Markson