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John Tory includes 5% cap in his election platform

March 9, 2007

John Tory today announced, as part of his election platform, a cap on annual assessment increases of 5%. CAPTR strongly supports this initiative. Following are PC and CAPTR press releases.

Tory announces plan to provide stability for homeowners

March 9, 2007 - Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory today announced a plan to protect Ontario homeowners from runaway property assessment increases that put some people at risk of losing their homes.

"The property assessment system in Ontario has spiralled out of control and is hurting homeowners," said Tory. "Many families worry that skyrocketing increases to their property assessments may soon leave them unable to afford to continue living in their own homes."

Tory and PC Finance Critic Tim Hudak announced the PC plan at the Toronto home of Gordon and Marian Cook, a retired couple who have experienced a property assessment increase of more than 37 per cent in the past three years. Under Dalton McGuinty’s current approach, the Cook family could face skyrocketing property assessments and a huge increase in 2008 after the election when a McGuinty government freeze ends. Tory’s plan would protect them and other homeowners by:

• Establishing a five per cent annual cap on property assessment increases for as long as an individual owns their home (including if a property is transferred to a spouse);
• Implementing a new reverse onus appeal system so the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) will have to justify an assessment increase instead of placing the burden of proof on the homeowner; and
• Ensuring MPAC fully implements the recommendations of the Ombudsman, and if the serious problems identified by the Ombudsman have not been addressed, shutting down MPAC and building a better model.

Tory also said a PC government will also address rural assessment inequalities that currently penalize Ontario farmers. The PC policy will ensure that farmers who are encouraged to have value-added production services are not subject to unfair property tax assessments.

"These measures are practical, realistic and fair. They are the result of real consultations with homeowner groups and they are an important first step towards giving Ontario’s property taxpayers a long overdue break," said Tory. "This plan stands in stark contrast with Dalton McGuinty’s approach which, in short, has been to do nothing."

Hudak added: "Seniors, Ontarians on fixed incomes and all homeowners deserve certainty and stability. They need to know that they can afford to keep living in their homes and that government will be there to help them. Unfortunately, in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario this is no longer a certainty."

Source: http://www.ontariopc.com/news.asp?id=603

Citizens Tax Reform Coalition supports PC capping proposal

Toronto, March 9, 2007 - The Ontario-based Coalition After Property Tax Reform, (CAPTR), is backing John Tory's pledge to cap annual property assessment increases at 5 per cent if the PC Party wins the provincial election on October 10th.

CAPTR, a coalition representing a million Ontarians who are members of ratepayers groups, welcomed today's announcement by the Ontario PC opposition leader.

"We strongly support Mr. Tory's promise to cap assessment hikes and recognize the damage being done to Ontario homeowners by the volatile and unpredictable way that property assessments have been soaring," says CAPTR spokesperson Bob Topp.

"Mr. Tory is demonstrating a real understanding of the underlying inequity in a system which bases property taxes on a rough estimate of market worth, taxes unrealized gains in value and leaves the property owner with no control over tax levels from year to year," adds Topp.

Topp notes that the Liberal government has promised on a number of occasions, going back to the 2004 budget, that they were going to fix the system.

"But so far, except for the cancellation of any assessments until after this fall's election, all we have seen is study, study, study, with no indication of what the Liberal government would do when their assessment freeze comes off in 2008, other than let assessments and taxes rise uncontrolled again," concludes Topp.

The Coalition After Property Tax Reform (CAPTR) is a province-wide coalition of ratepayer and seniors organizations representing over one million Ontarians. It was formed in 2006 to lobby for an equitable residential property tax regime in Ontario.

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