Low Taxes Before Safe Streets For All

Snow glittering, falls and bathes the icy concrete in a deceptive blanket of beauty and safety. Taxes for property owners glittering in their non-increase, bathe the healthy and well-off in a deceptive blanket of politics and financial comfort. People walking, fall and bathe the low-tax icy concrete in blood and shards of bone. Fracture clinics bursting, frenetic activity rising, fill and bathe more and more in casts and costly concussions. Health care ballooning, bathes well-off healthy property owners in political debt. Workers straining, bathe their low-tax-caused disability in tears unseen by the John Torys and Gary Crawfords in their false economy as they soothe the remaining healthy that low taxes is better than clear sidewalks.

Low taxes is better than stable roads with no sinkholes.

Low taxes is better than robots sorting and diverting 100 percent of Toronto’s waste to save the climate.

Low taxes is better than informing the public that low-income and fixed-income disabled and senior property owners don’t pay tax increases and pay less for water and sewage so that they don’t know no tax increase is really only for the well off who can afford them.

Low taxes is better than expanding, operating, maintaining public transit to unclog roads of cars and the air of warming emissions.

Low taxes is better than using photo radar to enforce rules of the roads to save lives when drivers flout the law in front of indifferent police officers charged with serving and protecting the public.

Low taxes is better than making the city inclusive, better than appointing a Councillor and committee to take charge of accessibility matters and adhering to the provincial AODA law, better than putting every sign, light, road, and building design through an inclusivity lens.

“We respect your money” glittering, falls into willing ears and bathes them in a deceptive blanket of deafness and blindness to the rest of the John Tory and Gary Crawford message -- we do not respect your:
  1. time
  2. safety
  3. productivity
  4. children’s future
  5. breathing air and drinking water
  6. freedom from global warming and global dimming
  7. freedom from bad driving
  8. right to remain abled
  9. right to not lose your employees to injury
  10. right to work, play, and live independently after politicians in their many low-tax failures to provide excellent services and a safe city have concussed you.
On February 28, 2019, Frank Clayton, Ph.D. Senior Research Fellow of Ryerson University, with research assistance by:Andrew Zaduban, M.A.Candace Sofonovs, B.A., prepared a report, titled "How Much Room Does the City of Toronto Have for Increasing Residential Property Taxes?" Matt Elliott, city columnist at CBC Toronto, tweeted out two relevant screenshots from that report. Torontonians are not overtaxed. Surrounding municipalities pay far, far more, yet Toronto's government has far, far more fiscal responsibilities.

Average Residential Property Tax as percentage of average value of dwelling

Average Residential Property Tax Paid 2016


Toronto's property taxes are low, low-income seniors and people with disabilities don't pay property tax increases and get a break on water rates, too, and John Tory and Budget Chief Gary Crawford are selling us a bill of goods to our collective and individual detriment. Email your Councillor and the Mayor if you wish to stay safe when out and about.

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