Halifax staff propose 5.9% property tax increase

[Keith P.]

We need to not talk about the HRM tax RATE since that figure is essentially meaningless. With property assessments being the main driver of revenue for the city, the tax RATE is derived from those figures in conjunction with HRM's thirst for revenue. For decades HRM council members have got up on their hind legs at budget debate and brayed about how they kept the tax RATE the same or only changed slightly, as if they were doing a good thing. The reality is that property tax BILLS have gone up every year despite the growth in the number of housing units in HRM and hence the number of property tax accounts. Raising taxes in that environment is like a store raising prices because they have more customers and blaming it on the need to install more checkout lanes.