• For third year in a row, City of Winnipeg highest in Capital Region
• Manitoba government urged to release municipal performance data

2003 Manitoba Survey (317 KB)

WINNIPEG: At a press conference today, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released the results of the 2003 Manitoba Property Tax and Utility Charges survey. This year's survey tracked the basic living cost for residential property owners across Manitoba and builds upon the CTF's Capital Region Survey. "Taxpayers can use this survey to compare the cost of local government in their hometown with other municipalities, and where necessary, push for spending changes and a better use of tax dollars," stated CTF Manitoba Director Adrienne Batra.

The 2003 Residential Property Taxes and Utility Charges Survey compares residential property taxes for a house assessed at $100,000 for the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. Section two breaks down the year to year fluctuation of property taxes. Section three breaks down residential property taxes into three components: general municipal tax, the provincial education support levy and the special school levy. Section four compares the cost of average annual utility charges for a single-family house including telephone, power, gas, water and sewer. In the final section, the annual utility charges are added to the residential property taxes for a rounded comparison of estimated living costs.

Batra noted that the overall trend across the province shows property taxes are marginally lower than previous years. "Credit should be given to the local governments in areas such as Headingley, Steinbach and Morden for keeping taxes down and providing essential services to residents at an affordable cost," said Batra. "Yet in some municipalities, politicians tend to consistently press for more taxing and spending authorities while their primary responsibilities, which is to provide essential municipal services, are neglected."

Winnipeg's poor showing in the Capital Region explains the city's motivation to reduce its reliance on property taxes as a revenue source, however other taxes are not the solution. "It would be foolish to deny that Winnipeg, like most cities across Canada, faces an infrastructure deficit. But higher taxes and a dizzying array of user fees is not the solution," added Batra. To meet the infrastructure needs, Batra pointed to the CTF's Municipal Roadway Trust (MRT). The MRT is designed to fill Canada's infrastructure gap by allocating 50 per cent of existing federal gas tax revenues towards roadways. "This alone, however does not let municipalities off the hook," stated Batra, "they need to take a hard look in the mirror and prioritize their spending and eliminate the bells and whistles that the property tax burden was not meant to bear."

The CTF is also urging the Province of Manitoba to release its own municipal performance data. "The province has a responsibility to ensure that citizens are receiving the best bang for their buck when it comes to municipal property taxes because as it currently stands, there is no mechanism for citizens to easily compare the information, " said Batra. "Until the province steps up and gives taxpayers a clear picture of where they tax dollars are going, the CTF will continue to release this information," Batra concluded.