City hall’s latest tax increase draws fire

WINNIPEG — Coun. Scott Fielding didn’t wait for the 2014 budget to be tabled before criticizing it and offering his own plan for a tax freeze.

The St. James-Brooklands-Weston councillor sent a media release Friday afternoon panning the proposed 2.95 per cent tax increase.

“Taxpayers deserve better. How can we expect our citizens to dig deeper in their wallets at a time when we are seeing major mismanagement of major capital projects?” Fielding is quoted saying.

Reporters were still in a media lock-up to discuss the proposed budget with officials Friday afternoon when Fielding sent his release. The media is expected to keep the details under wraps until the official tabling of the budget later in the afternoon.

Fielding is a former chair of city hall’s finance committee and member of Mayor Sam Katz’s Executive Policy Committee. He quit EPC last month, saying he couldn’t support another tax hike. He also said he is mulling a run for mayor in the civic election next fall.

Charleswood-Tuxedo Councillor Paula Havixbeck called the budget a “complete embarrassments particularly in light of all the mismanagement at city hall.”  She also says she wanted to see the councillors ward allowance reduced by $55,000.

Colin Craig of Canadian Taxpayers Federation says taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for the city’s spending problem.  “Its ridiculous”

The proposed 2.5 per cent tax increase would raise an additional $13.3 million for the city, Fielding says.

In 2013 the city hiked property taxes 3.87 per cent.