MONTREAL – City of Montreal taxpayers may need to brace themselves. The city is considering the possibility of bringing back the infamous and much hated water tax.
City councillor Richard Deschamps raised the issue at an executive committee meeting Wednesday morning attended by Mayor Michael Applebaum.
Deschamps said Montreal needs to have a sort of auto-financing system in place in order to pay for the crumbling water infrastructure. He said the city cannot continue to subsidize the water network.
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Mayor Applebaum insists the water tax was never cancelled – but was suspended this year because there was enough money in reserve to pay for infrastructure problems. But he didn’t rule out the possibility of re-introducing the tax of more than one per cent in next year’s budget.
This has outraged many home owners. Global News spoke to residents and business owners in NDG, who noted that the city ought to clean up its corruption problems before considering raising property taxes or introducing new ones. Many said they feel that they are taxed enough.
SOUND OFF: With the city’s crumbling infrastructure, do you think re-introducing the water tax is a good idea? Let us know on Facebook.
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