GuelphToday received the following letter from Len Haslam and Mary Ann Grape regarding tax bills:
We are sure we won’t be the only ones complaining about our tax bill.
However we must draw personal attention to our taxes that have gone up exorbitantly again (over 3 per cent every single year for the last 12 plus) even through this troubled time.
During this tax time, (last instalment was April 30 and next one due June 30) city services have either been closed or put on hold. Obviously you didn’t put staff on layoff, or let them go as you have to do in the real world.
And we are pretty sure one of the reasons for the ridiculous raise again may in fact be the education portion of the bill. We want it broken down please.
Sorry, don’t buy it. Between strike action, and Covid 19 closures, there should definitely be a reduction in education portion of taxes. They have not worked in three months. Please tell me what council for the City of Guelph has done to negotiate with the province regarding collection of education portion of this bogus bill.
Sorry, we are not paying this raise in this tax bill for services not rendered.
You either explain to us why we should or you get the money from the teacher's unions (all 5 or more of them), OPSEU and whatever other unions that made you pay for people doing no work..
Until we get explanation for all this, you can tell your tax department to put roll xxxxxxxxxxxxxx on hold. Not paying the increase.We have been taxpayers in this city for over 45 years and we are and sick and tired of exorbitant increases over the last number of years for less and less services.
You and your spendthrift councils have been killing seniors who are just trying to stay in their homes that we worked all our lives for. So much so that we need to continue to work to pay these increases but were legislated not to.
So, either do the right thing as a leader and cut back this increase or send in the storm troopers.
We will not leave our house nor will we pay another unwarranted tax increase.
- Len Haslam/Mary Ann Grape
