Editor: Dennis Townsend’s letter “Rising taxes and debt big concerns in the Township” (The Times, Oct. 30) certainly struck a chord with me.
I too read the quote stating that current Mayor Jack Froese “slowed the rate of property tax increases.” What exactly does “slowed” mean?
When I received my property tax invoice earlier this year, I read in the accompanying “Property Tax Information” pamphlet that stated council “approved a 2.59 per cent general municipal tax rate increase”. My property taxes increased $312 this year over last, a 16 per cent increase. Are these numbers indicative of a “slowed” rate?
Since moving to Langley in the summer of 2009, I have seen my property taxes rise $1,111 or 26.5 per cent over that period of time. Our property assessment has only gone up 13.5 per cent over the same period. A “slowed” rate of property tax increases indeed.
In addition, I recall reading an article published in The Times back in the spring stating that, in the last three years, there was an increase of 40 individuals working for the Township who were earning over $75,000! A 24 per cent increase in that number. Is this where my additional property taxes are going? The opposite of “slowed” is?
Politicians at all levels need to realize that they can’t keep dipping into the ‘taxpayer well’ ad nauseum. There is a tipping point. I would suggest this is why we see huge line-ups at the border heading south to buy gas and other goods; goods are cheaper as taxes are lower.
Geoff Davies,
Murrayville
