CTF to Present 2003 Pre-Budget Brief to EPC

CTF's prebudget submission (132 KB)

WINNIPEG: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation today presents its recommendations on the 2003 Budget Estimates to the City of Winnipeg's Executive Policy Committee.

The CTF's pre-budget brief highlights the positive impact of past property tax relief and spending restraint but raises a red flag on the city's eagerness for spending in non-priority areas and unwillingness for future tax cuts.

"The draft budget shows that with the small reductions in property taxes over the past few years, the city's revenues have not been affected, " said Adrienne Batra, CTF Manitoba director. "There is still a lot of work that needs to be done therefore property and business taxes need to be thawed out, not frozen," added Batra.

The CTF will present these main recommendations to EPC:

• To ensure Winnipeg's competitiveness the CTF recommends a 2% reduction in property taxes to augment tax cuts given over the past few years.
• Phase out the business tax over a five-year period (beginning with a 2 point reduction in 2003) so that continued growth in business tax revenues off-sets the staggered tax reductions.
• To continue financing high priority spending areas such as debt servicing costs, fire and police services the CTF recommends the city reduce spending in low priority budget envelopes to a comparable extent.
• EPC abandon any ideas of raising a 1% municipal sales tax as a means to fill the infrastructure gap

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation presented to EPC on Wednesday March 12, 2003 at 9 a.m. at the City Council Building, second floor.