Author: Casey Vander Ploeg
Property tax debates have raged for years, with critics appearing on different ends of the spectrum. Stemming from these debates, Straight Talk, one of the most comprehensive comparative analysis ever conducted on municipal property taxes in the six major western Canadian cities, answers the four following riveting questions:
1. What is the burden of municipal taxes compared to other taxes?
2. Are current property tax levels high relative to historic levels?
3. What municipal services do property taxes finance and how are they distributed amongst these services?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of property tax?
This report was authored by Senior Policy Analyst, Casey Vander Ploeg of the Canada West Foundation. Straight Talk is part of a larger series of reports that discusses municipal finance issues, and is part of the Foundation’s Western Cities Project.