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Coalition After Property Tax Reform
gives Ontario government failing grade

Toronto, May 29, 2007 - As the school year draws to a close, Ontario's million-member Coalition After Property Tax Reform, (CAPTR), has given the provincial government a failing grade for its poor efforts at property tax reform.

The government received a "D" on the CAPTR report card for refusing to cap unfair property assessments and instead instituting a four-year property value assessment cycle starting two years from now.

"It's long term pain for no gain at all", says CAPTR spokesperson Bob Topp, who notes that, under Queen's Park's new rules, a property assessment that goes up by $60,000 will simply be delivered in annual $15,000 chunks for four years. Because assessments will be less frequent, increases will be even greater in a rising market than with annual assessments.

Ontario's Green Party also rated a failing "D" on the CAPTR report card for property assessment policies that would, like the Liberals, drive property owners to sell if they couldn't afford the speculation-driven tax hikes.

The provincial Progressive Conservatives rate an "A" for their policy of capping annual property assessment increases at 5 per cent, which is what CAPTR has been fighting for since its formation in 2006. The Ontario NDP also do better, earning a "B minus" for adopting a freeze on property assessments until a property is sold.

The report card can be found in the latest (June) issue of Cottage Life magazine. It is also posted on the new CAPTR web site, www.captr.org. The upgraded website describes CAPTR's reform objectives and will contain reports to the membership and ongoing media coverage.

Contact: Bob Topp, 416-929-9885

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