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long In the organisation If they came originally for Involvement with the youth told the Herald outside the meeting fit The Boy Scouts recommended the government provide for assessment or property to or per cent sufficient to pay for protective or properly services that the provincial government provide grants to municipalities to cover the property services and that if any scouting and other similar agencies I property are to be taxed the provincial government pay the tax on these properties The Burlington Family director David Vic told the commission that outside of an increasingly difficult annual grant to get out of council the had only membership and program fees and a possible grant from the United Way to meet rising costs cost through taxation and decrease in grants means volunteers will be gradually forced Into working with only those that can afford the services rather than providing services for oil the people of our community A RECORD WELL ITS GOTTA BE CLOSE GLORIA what may just be a one displayed above which Ls record size cauliflower grown in her Caledon ounces It lias inches garden Mrs Sargent received the weds for the stock of the plant is the plant from her mother Mrs Antonio Ho This was Mrs Sargent s first attempt it of Terra Colta and grew six normal slse growing cauliflower and she fully expects to cauliflowers in her garden in addition to the be eating it come spring Loss of volunteers claimed if nonprofit groups taxed An adverse affect on the quality of life In some communities would be the result of one of the Ontario government a proposed reforms of the property tax system the communion heard last week in Brampton Briefs from the Boy Scouts of Canada and the Burlington Family were delivered which emphasized the difficulties organizations dependant on volunteers face In having to pay or apply annually for a grant to relieve taxes In Ontario about volunteers provide annually about nine million hours of time to 100 Boy Scouts of Canada said Don M Deacon of the provincial council of Ontario Scouts If scouting and all the services of the numerous agencies were to be taken over by the government there would undoubtedly be a vast increase of costs for the same vice he said and it Is questionable if they could be delivered with the same efficiency and effectiveness as Is supplied by the dedicated volunteer no cost to the com munily Volunteers whose efforts had to be directed to fundroislng or negotiating with councils for tax relief would not likely remain Millions saved in taxes by separate private schools Peel separate school board enrolments or re instating a grant would be chairman Robert Hall says the economy and needed to erase inequity education system can be best served by retaining tax exemption for private schools Millions of dollars annually ore saved by the government and property tax payers because thousands of Ontario students are educated at private expense Hall said He told the property tax refcrm com mission that should the school boards be forced to pay property tax then grants should be made available to cover the tax A brief prepared by the Peel board of education said that If school boards are to retain characteristics and accompanying responsibility then a share of the coat must come from the local taxpayer The Impact on the local taxpayer Is disguised if the source of our revenue Is essentially derived from the province in the form of grants the report says Peel education officials also noted taxation could result in reduced program content Improvements Given the nature of ceilings on grants and other controls we are sceptical there will be adequate relief from the increased costs the board believes Tax reforms also threaten the use of schools as community focal points for such activities as senior citizen centres church services and wedding receptions the brief Odds Mr Hall added that the distribution of taxes to school boards on any basis other than enrollment ls not consistent with the Separata School Act in force at the time of Confederation He said the government reforms would Berate leas taxes for separate school than for public school boards which would Immediately place separate school boards at on even greater tax levy disadvantage Mr Hall suggested either pooling corporate assessment and sharing on the ration of WHAT WAS SAID AT PROPERTY TAX REVIEW HEARINGS Proposals sound but caution urged Proposals for property tax reform In Ontario are sound and will meet the stated objectives a report prepared by treasurers soya But the five treasurers one each from municipalities and from the region also urges cautious optimism because analysis of specif it proposals is difficult because of Ihe lack of detail The six page report presented to the regional administration committee Inst week and subject to ratification at regional council today Wednesday was presented to the commission during public hearings held In Brampton Inst week Region treasurers said they feel that the shift of the tax load within the residential category will In many instances be quite dramatic particularly in those areas where no form of reassessment has occurred in The commission slated objectives which were contained In the provincial budget brought down in April arc to establish an appropriate distribution of tax burden among classes of real property to achieve a more neutral business assessment rate and to broaden the local lax base by removing exemptions While the tax reform proposal makes reference to a phasing In of the change over a number of years this will undoubtedly be one of the major problem ureas unless handled extremely carefully the report says Regional Don Farmer said the full extent of the tax shift in will not be realized until new assessment figures are available from the province Those figures he added should be released sometime this week Wc have made a specific comment in our brief he said and we understand this request has been made in other similar circumstance and has always been favorably received by the commission that be permitted to file an additional brief after we receive our assessment figures and apply the recommendations to these figures administration committee last week approved the draft report subject to ratification by regional council today Wednesday Committee members also wish further information on the report s recommendation for exemption of property held by charitable and non profit organizations It is expected that taxing lodges dubs and associations could mean the municipality will receive more requests for grants and could have the effect of reducing the benefit of the tax the report adds We can this creating much and extra work at budget times for local councils The report also questions whether the net effect of provincial reforms may be a reduction in the amount of grants available This may adversely affect school board programs for acquisition of future school ilea which would be taxed while laying the HERALD Home Newspaper of Hills September 1 1978 Page 11 Lien on property inevitable Esquesing spokesman charges A spokesman for the South Landowners charged Thursday that provincial proposals for property tax reform on farmland looks like a lien on property Is in Rodney speaking for the organization told the commission on property tax reform last week that bet ween the federal government allowing food Imports and the provincial government trying to extract our lands from us farmers are caught in a double bind He charged the provincial government with striding toward socialism in its proposal to makt farmers liable for back taxes over a 10 period plus any accrued interest if Ihe land is sold for purposes other than Several farmer groups appeared before the commission during its sittings in Brampton without exception criticized the commission for holding hearings during the busiest time of the year A commission spokesman said ap pearance of all rural Interest groups made the hearings the most lively of any of the previous sittings Mr sold it is political licence to call what comes from liens on property a tax reform place a permanent major lien on Ontario farmlands la major step to socialism he said LACK OF INFORMATION Mr said the government Is not providing enough Information on taxation to the public and urged caution of people bearing gifts the Impression given by the proposals being debaged by the commission Mike McQuaid a spokesman for the member Moyfield Landowner Association crmod government move regressive and could easily be the first step to locking farmers into their farms in a manner akin to the serfdom of the Middle Ages of Agriculture UFA representatives questioned the purpose of the Tom Foster questioned also the concept of taking market value as a tax basis for land He said there is no relationship between the value of land for agriculture and market is meeting with the commission in Kitchener Oct I where it will file a format brief The Is also meeting with its parent organization the Ontario Federation of Agriculture on the questions raised by tax Commission chairman Willis Blair stressed that the 50 per cent rebate paid for farm taxation will remain but there will be no elimination of the land speculation lax ASSESSMENT He said that consideration will be given to assessment of houses on lots differing from countryside to town Farm homes do not have amenities like water and sewer that town homes do he said Out buildings and bams wilt be defined as farm Mr Blair said Mr McQuaid said the method of assessing market value on a farm a worth is inadequate would depend on the Individual capabilities attention to forming the in of the farming operation the financial support the prevailing interest rates and even the extent of the repayments he said It be related to the amount of productive land and the market conditions he added He warned that should the proposal for back taxation be applied to sole or farmland then it becomes a mere stroke of the pen to eliminate the 10 year recapture period or to provide that the recapture of back taxes takes nlacc a sale even to another farmer instead of the cessation of forming As are at a significant competitive disadvantage In relation to Norval farmer urges productivity taxation Farmers should be taxed on their productivity liki the rest of society rather than on the amount of land they hold Norval landowner and part time farmer told the property tax reform commission Peter Branch also said that multiple family dwellings should be taxed on a Family unit basis The second or more family escapes paying services especially school tax Branch said Each family unit should pay their fair share of taxes Branch questioned that applying market value to agricultural land would provide a realistic value of any particular farm economic operation I suggest that market value be removed from the recommendation and substituted by the term productivity value Branch said Rather than a fixed land and buildings value tax nose the simplest and most easily administered system is to assess farm tax on the productivity of the enterprise through an Income tax or business tax Like many other formers Branch who with his wife has a head cowcalf operation and head of sheep and raise all their awn feed on about acres Is opposed to the provinciol government paying any share of form property taxes A provision of the property tax reform would have the farmer make payable to the government all the taxes paid up to ten years plus interest If and is sold for use other than agricultural Farmers say that in ten years that would amount to the government owning the forma It Is most unfair and unjust Bo rich sold Where else does society impose a condition which may be beyond the owner s control and yet he bus to pay Branch said he was not opposed to the principle of property tax reform but to Its lions and administration Farming and its production of food and fibre has reached the epitome of frustration for those engaged In actively working the land Branch said Greater concern must be shown to he farmer problems especially taxation if Ontario farmers ore tocontinue to produce an abundance of high quality cheap food at times realistic cost of production also told the commission that as long as farmers must deal with four levdo of government and several hundred groups within governments the issue of agriculture will never be settled Agriculture in Ontario and Canada needs one policy and one agency he said The problem of a productivity tax Branch told the commission during a question period Is that It would vary from farm to farm In order for a farmer to pay for services such as fire and police protection roads and schools there may have to be a tax as well as a productivity tax Branch However education tax should not be based on land although other services ore Branch said Education tax should be based on family units rather than dwellings Branch Bald Need info board me board of education plans to prepare a brief on the government proposed tax reform which would force school boards to pay property taxes a board spokesman said Monday Superintendent of property Bruce sold were waiting for detailed Information from ministry which they wrote away for ten days ago After the board has an opportunity to analyze Ihe properties in Halton involved and its assessment said they will compile report to submit to the commission at their October meeting in Hamilton We re still trying to find out what It all means said Right now there Is not enough Information to form opinion The Issue of making school boards pay property tax surprise because he said It has been under consideration by the province for about four years Separate School Board Director Cliff Burns was unavailable for comment Monday and Tuesday imported foodstuffs Mr said farms cannot afford to be taxed on the basis of values which are Irrelevant to farming His association objects to the suggestion hat In valuing farm residences one deems an artificial land severance to have been when in fact it does not exist By such a device the actual value of the total property would be significantly exaggerated where a farm la located in the shadow of urban development Mr McQuaid said Having regard to tbe strict provincial policy on respect to indiscriminate land severances the farm and the farmers would be severely penaUrM he added Although taxes paid by school boards may be allowed as a expense it may mean little or no increase in overall grant particularly with the trend toward establishing ceilings on grants Halton Region is also concerned about the effect on tuition fees charged by private schools taxed under the proposal Business taxes as now levied are in many cases difficult collect and administer the brief states adding that all business properties be taxed at 150 per cent 100 per cent for property and per cent Tor business taxes We feel It not inequitable to the owner to be responsible and that the business tax can be included in the rental rote as Is the property tax The provincial proposal to raise business taxes to BO per cent could raise the cost of essential goods through an increased tax load while reducing tbe tax load on aucb non essential products as those produced by distilleries for example The report cautions hat retail business taxation under the single rate would Increase to per cent from 30 per cent while the rate for distilleries would decrease to per cent from 110 per cent Is also concerned over proposals to tax golf dubs at 100 per cent of market value which could force many to cesse operating and to develop land particularly when the course has become surrounded by urban development also expresses concern over the comparison of ax revenues shown by a test in Niagara Region The brief states The in formation given from Niagara Region is very limited and gives only the supposed increase in revenue The brief also labels misleading the provincial estimate of million greater than the present tax levy when proposed reforms are used While theoretically correct it does tend to be somewhat misleading as overall sources of revenue have not Increased oany extent as they ore offset by reduction of provincial grants In other areas Increased school costs and possible increases in municipal budgets for such expenditures as grants to charitable organizations Proposals for recovery of provincial taxes paid on farms over tbe put 10 years ore not definitely stated In the provincial budget and several questions remain unanswered tbe brief adds The brief pose questions on what basis Is on adjustment for possible tax recovery made at the time of sale of a farm And is it possible that a land holding developer could be given a substantial free tax gift BOOKWORMS Donna Brown and Susan 12 books first Bach reed a subscription to Moss on received outstanding honors in Owl magazine Pictured centre is head of Georgetown Library Summer Reading Georgetown library children department Olympics Donna read books while Susan Wendy tied with Mike Long for finishing the SHOPS DOWNTOWN STORE MOORE PARK PLAZA 8771311 8771811 Rib STEAKS 59 BREAKFAST SAUSAGES PORK ft BEEF FARMER SAUSAGES 89 1 09 Hot or Sweat ITALIAN SAUSAGES IPO J