![Saint John presses fight to get heavy industry paying more property tax](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6487735.1702357620!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/gary-sullivan.jpg)
Saint John presses fight to get heavy industry paying more property tax
CBC
Saint John councillors expressed frustration again Monday night with the city's inability to spread more of the property tax burden to heavy industry.
"In our budget, our revenue from property tax is coming entirely from the residential taxpayers in Saint John," said Coun. Gary Sullivan, head of the city's finance committee. "And commercial and heavy industry are basically flat from one year to the next."
Sullivan presented a motion that the city write to the province and to other municipalities about tax reform, with the goal of achieving "sustainable and fair property tax revenue."
This was just the last step the city has taken in the past eight years to try to get more control over property taxation, and Sullivan said the province has provided "some tools" already. But but the job isn't finished, he said.
He said other municipalities need to be educated about the issue, since they don't have heavy industry and don't feel the same pressure. The Saint John area has 60 per cent of New Brunswick's heavy industry, Sullivan said.
Coun. David Hickey said the uneven tax burden in Saint John should be "the top thing" the city talks about.
"We're passing a budget that puts a 10 per cent increase on residential taxes," HIckey said. "Heavy Industry's getting a discount. That's a story none of us can tell enough."
"It's got to be their priority coming in here every day, and it should be every MLA's priority when they head over the Petersville Hill" on Route 7, away from the city toward the capital.
The operating budget approved Monday has a four per cent reduction in the residential property tax rate. But even with that reduction, increased property assessments mean the residential property tax class will pay nearly 10 per cent more next year than in 2023, while the non-residential class will barely pay about six-tenths of a per cent more. The heavy industrial class will pay about two per cent less.
Some councillors said they want to see Saint John residents care more about how they're taxed and they suggested putting together a flyer explaining the issue and putting it into everybody's mailbox.
"We need the citizens to help us get through to the province and the MLAs that we need that money that's generated in Saint John," Coun. Barry Ogden said.
"We're not asking for them to go raise money elsewhere. We're just saying let us keep the money that is generated in Saint John and make our lives better so we can grow."
Coun. Gerry Lowe said the public doesn't understand the issue.
"They come and pay their taxes. We get an increase — heavy industry got a minus," he said.