Dear Editor,
We are seniors on a fixed income living in Camrose County because we like to live in the country although it is not less expensive or more convenient than urban living.
Acreage taxes are high enough. We do not need to be subsidizing the oil and gas industry, or the agriculture industry.
My advice for municipalities to alleviate budget concerns over the impacts of property assessment model changes.
Hire a lawyer: make the oil and gas companies pay their taxes, past, present, future; shareholders, particularly non-Canadian, can pay their share back.
Reduce/eliminate program and staff, including councillors. Every non-government business does, since they can’t run to governments to ask for more money.
Eliminate contractors (ie) road dust control, so our taxes pay for our services, without paying for private company contractors’s profits and shareholder profits.
Revise agricultural taxes: Ag vehicles are the heavy users of county roads. Postpone/delete new rural policing. Return criminals to their jurisdictions for prosecuting. Revise tax dollars that go to the City of Camrose. Rural residents support city businesses and services and pay for amenities used.
Sell the County building and move on the 4th floor of City Hall, since they have extra space.
P. Reiter
Meeting Creek, Alta.
