JORK - North Shore News

J - Wednesdays, May 4,

18% INCREASE | FOR INDUSTRY

Business.

it hardest

tax hike

jo. .
INDUSTRIAL AND commercial property owners will be

the/hardest hit among North
this, year.

Major industrics, light industries
and commercial properties will all
be slapped with higher. taxes when
‘council adopts its 1988 budget and
tax rates bylaw. Up :

Councit has passed the budget ..

and will consider it for adoption
next week.
|. Major. industries; will see’ their
taxes soar as high-as 18 per cent,
while light. industry and. commer-,
_cial,
tively. Residential taxes, mean-.
while, will rise by 4.75 per cent.
» Ald. Ernie Crist said the in-
/ereases reflect an attempt by coun-
cil to -fredress the balance’
.{- Municipal, taxes paid, iby residents
"and industry.
: The
undertaxed, and we've said look,

_ this is ridiculous. The |homeowner
i must. be. protected (from bearing’

. the burden of taxes),"” said Crist.
; Crist’ complained that large cor-
porations have for many years suf-.-
fered. no. real increases in taxes,
“and in some. cases, pay less’ “today
_ than they” did. five years ago. But

‘, ‘owners have, sen steadily, he said.
For example, in 1984, Canadian.

* «Occidental Petroleum paid roughly:
1,5: million. to the | district in
“municipal and’ school, tax » but i in~
‘1987, paid only $714,000. wa
This has® been .a ‘bad deal ‘ai
said“ Crist. “‘Any: other
: ‘municipality:

12 and nine per cent respec: .

“mainland: mayors,
of
_ municipalities: to)“

industries were terribly _

ould . have charged.” {

Vancouver District taxpayers

SIAC
Writer

as that. That's how we subsidize
these companies. It's a waste of
our money. |

A change in the provincial tax
law has allowed the district to im-
pose separate tax’ rates on major
industry and light industry.

The provincial. government,
however, has warned
municipalities not’) to. raise in-
dustrial taxes significantly.

In a ‘fetter distributed to lower
Finance
Minister. Mel Couvelier cautions
use the new”
powers , carefully, in consultation
with industry and with a view
towards. the’ future economic
‘development . of. your com-
munities." *

He goes on to remind them that we

the provincial ‘government ‘has. the
overall responsibility’. for . the
municipal tax structure.

But Crist fnaintains the increases

are’ justified: -and could even be »
out) by | residential’ higher. -

. , The-overall tax increase will help.
pay for the municipality's’ 1988 .
budget, which increased about 3.3
"per cent: ‘from 1987 to $36 million, —

Le Major increases in ‘police costs,
* government services, public health,

inspection: of. accessory suites ‘in:

the district, and an increase in ‘solid
“waste disposal : have accounted for

‘ taxes too much.

The: basic ‘municipal residential

Stax rate won't’ increase at ‘all this
year, said» Mayor..Jack Loucks, .

reading a prepared ‘statement ‘on
behalf of council and staff. :
“And commercial and industrial
property taxes,. up 2.96 percent,
“continue to be lower than the
‘rates inthe majority of the’
municipalities in the: Greater: Van-
couver Regional District, "he said,
He also said the’ utility tax: rate;
up 22 per cent, ‘‘remains lower? or,
on‘a-par’’’.with similar. taxes ‘in’
other. lower mainland |
ty of North Vancouver
"has once more demonstrated sound
financial: practices which Provide
our, citizens with good services and
minimal” "increases in. taxes,” he
* added. - 4 pods
'’ The provincial government came
“under, fire because of a letter about .
’ industrial property tax) rates from.
’ Finance Minister Mel Couvelier.”
Ald, Bill: Bell. cailed* the gov- :
ernment’ s. requests, for :

Mayors.”
com- .”

~ increases.
from previous levels:’"\. |~

|

during the first ‘thunderstorm on the Nosh Shore in a long time. The Mics bolt left this jagged hole, byt

no one. was hurt and oo fire resolied. Here, 2

end. Mahon church: Repairs to the steeple were started on Tuesday, ;

By STEPHEN WISENTHAL
Contributing Writer |

municipalities to. keep industrial 5
taxes down ‘‘a veiled threat.2’’ i
And_ yet the | province ; has in- ;

_ creased the industrial school tax 14.

per “cent : this . year, while Nosth |
Vancouver City’s ‘taxes haven't |

- even gone.up 4s much. aS, ination, ‘\

Bell said. . Ve, wil
Couvelier’ s letter, . sent to. all.
anid — regional: district.
chairmen, urges them to be careful
whei using new powers to set in-.,
dustrial tax rates/)\< - :
. “While I do not accept the view:

that ‘greater, municipal’ autonomy *:
leads ‘to higher industrial taxation,’
-} know: that your. vactions will be

industrial

carefully SWwatched 4 by
taxpayers,’". wrote Couvelier; ad-.
ding the province .*iwill be. called
on: to, account, foriany: significant ‘
‘in : municipal taxation,

Ald.) [ Stella’ ‘Jo. Dean, stressed :

‘ couver |

Nortel v VANCOUVER ‘city Council ‘announced a l.4 per that while. refuse collection 4 d
cent vity budget i increase for 1988 Monday night, and at the’
“same time: condemned the provincial government. for raising. =

‘sewage parcel ‘charges will raise’
levies 1.2 per cent for single-family
- homeowners and 1.8 per cent/ for:

"strata home. owners, ‘‘there is: no
* increase in their municipal levy)”

Loucks said taxes are kept down

partly because .of interest income:
- from a $15.5. million Tax Sales

. Reserve Fund, which is expected to

_increase 10 over $20 million’ next.

year.

Parks'and city street and drainage

“Systems will come from that. ‘inte

est income, Loucks said.
Some__ service’ costs
: significantly. » The North

inflation and. increased usage’ b

city residents;’? «and police’ cos'

are up seven per.cent, said Loucks i
The. 1.4 ‘per ‘cent increase, well

: below expected | Vancouver infla-
. down ifrom a
* budget increase projected'in a Dec...

tion sof 4 per cent,

7 provisional budget, he. said.:
The budget passed/ third reading,
unanimously, “it, will receive? final

“yeading and be~ passed next
ewhen: complete’, doltar figures will

Over $1 million of the SI. 8 mil-
lion cost of planned inproyements ‘
to Mahon and Mosquito Creek

“recreation commission 's!:
“budget is up‘ {3 per: cent “due! t0/

North Vancouver City Hrefighter helps clear debris at the 5th

‘NORTH Vancouver ‘City Mayor |
tack Loucks;

keeping taxes down. -

be available,
In“ related: business, which will,

ccome-up later in the month, ‘Ald.

Frank Morris said ‘the city ‘should -:
take a motion’ about the provincial’
tax incre ses to the Union’ of B. c