My most savvy 905 residing friends urge me to look past the mill rate alone and look at how easy Toronto property tax payers have it.
I tried to compare Toronto's budget information
https://www1.toronto.ca/City Of Toronto/Strategic Communications/City Budget/2016/PDFs/Budget Basics/Web%2
with that from the 905. I picked Mississauga
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/budgethighlights
and Brampton
http://www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/budget/2016 Budget/2016-2018 Approved Business Plan and Budget/3. Operating Budget Overview.pdf
What this seems to show is that Toronto collects about $3.95B in property taxes, about 34% of its operating budget. Another $3.56B or 30% is collected through Water, Waste and Parking fees plus User Fees and Fines. In contrast, both Brampton and Mississauga collect over 60% of their operating budget from property taxes, and a lesser amount (23-24%) from user fees.
If I am reading this right, Toronto already hits up users for far more of its total city budgets, where the 905 treats property tax as closer to an all-inclusive kind of fee. There are probably demographic differences - I wonder for instance whether the proportion of renters versus owners is markedly different between 416 and 905.
I'm sure that more expert people have done proper analyses of all this. However - if we have a basic divergence between Toronto already raising money through user fees, with its citizens accustomed to that, and a greater proportion not directly seeing a bill from the City at all.....versus 905 residents who are more accustomed to a tax bill, and simply don't expect user fees on top of property taxes.... then imposing a road tax on 905 commuters certainly is inflammatory, even if it's sensible.
I won't even get on to development charges, which seem to represent a much bigger share of 905 capital budgets. Toronto in general does seem to be much more beholden on the generosity of strangers (ie the Province) as Blanche DuBois would say.
My analysis is pretty primitive - but it does make me wonder if the 905 is not far off when they point out that Toronto would have lots more money to fund things if their snowflake Council would just grow a pair, face their snowflake voters and tell them to knock it off and cough up the same funds as their 905 neighbours do. (sarcasm a bit thick, but you get the idea)
Does anyone have better data on all this?
- Paul