There is still concern among New Brunswick homeowners regarding the province’s controversial decision on property tax assessments.
READ MORE: New Brunswick getting out of property assessment business following controversy: premier
The New Brunswick government has admitted mistakes were made and that a new assessment system was fast-tracked for about one hundred thousand homes in the province. Premier Brian Gallant said an arbitrary formula was used impacting about two thousand homes, some of which were issued outlandish increases adding thousands of dollars to their property tax bills.
With word that fast tracking could bring in more than $5 million in extra revenue, the premier told reporters yesterday that would be fine if it was done fairly.
“Now with that said, where we stand today, it’s a real problem because now the whole system is undermined and we recognize that,” said Gallant
Carl Porter of Rothesay saw his assessment increase by more than 30 per cent. He’s not convinced the government is dealing with it properly.
“I believe the premier is trying to find a scapegoat. Someone that’s way down the line that had really nothing to do with it,” said Porter
Porter feel politicians should be paying a price. So far the government has balked on calls for the resignation of cabinet ministers including Ed Doherty, the minister responsible for Service New Brunswick.
WATCH: New Brunswick enacting property assessment changes following controversy
The province says it plans to get out of the property tax assessment business. Local realtors say they have been calling for some sort of modernization for some time.
“(Some) parts tax you per window, different jurisdictions tax you per square footage of the house,” said Saint John realtor Jason Stephen. “Something easy for people to understand and not ambiguous.”
Porter credits the constant media attention with prompting the government to act.
“I don’t believe too much would have been done if it hadn’t been for the news because they didn’t drop it and if they had of dropped it, everything would have been dropped,” he said.
Gallant attended a number of events on Friday but was not made available to answer questions from the media.
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