Reliance on property taxes to fund education

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1 total messages Started by Elat Lerner Sat, 20 Oct 2001 23:58

#37

Author: Elat Lerner
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 23:58

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From
http://www.taxpayer.com/newsreleases/sk/October17-01.htm:

October 17, 2001

Sask School Taxes Highest in Canada-Reliance on property taxes to fund education
more than double the Canadian  average-

Regina: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has renewed its fight for lower 
property taxes by releasing numbers today obtained from the provincial 
Department of Education through Freedom of Information that show the burden of 
education taxes on Saskatchewan  property owners is more than twice as heavy as 
the rest of Canada. 

"Property taxes in Saskatchewan are punitive and out of whack with the rest of 
the country," says Saskatchewan CTF Director Richard Truscott. "The enormity of 
the gap between this  province and the rest of the country is just astounding."

Property taxes fund 59% of education costs in Saskatchewan, compared to the 
average of 26% for all provinces. The next heaviest burden is in Manitoba, where
51% of education is  paid for by property taxes, while in New Brunswick, PEI, 
and Newfoundland education is funded entirely by the province with other tax 
revenues. 

School taxes have increased dramatically across the province since 1985, but 
particularly in  rural areas while farm income has plummeted. This has prompted 
grassroots "tax revolt" meetings across the province. Last spring the CTF 
presented a petition with the names of 12,500 taxpayers to Premier Calvert 
demanding a significant decrease in education taxes. 

"The government's policies on property taxes and school funding have compounded 
the problems facing Saskatchewan, particularly in rural areas. There needs to be
some serious changes in the next budget to how we fund schools," says Truscott.

Percentage of Education Funding Derived from Property Taxes, 2000 
Saskatchewan        59.0%
Manitoba            51.0%
Ontario (1999)      43.5%
Alberta             37.5%
British Columbia    30.1%
Quebec              21.3%
Nova Scotia1         6.7%
New Brunswick          0%
Newfoundland           0%
PEI                    0%
Canadian average    25.9%
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