Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Everyone likes a “deal”. We wait for a day or two or even drive few kilometers to save a few pennies per litre of gas. We line up for sales, buy lots when the price is right.
Well, if you live in Meaford, you’re already behind the eight ball. For those who live in Blue Mountains or Grey Highlands, just to name a couple, they have more money after they pay their property taxes to get those bargains.
How much you say? BMA Consulting reviews the taxes of several Ontario municipalities, using “like” properties of a 1,200 square foot bungalow. For this survey, Grey Highlands taxes were $2,026, Meaford at $2,647 and Blue Mountains at $2,360.
Compared to a Grey Highland’s family, a Meaford family has lost $621.00 of purchasing power for things such as groceries, hydro, clothing, and other basic needs. The higher value of the house and property, the greater loss of purchasing power, which can impact a person’s choice where to build.
As the mayor says, Meaford is THE place to be if you don’t want any extra money for the things that could be free if it weren’t for Meaford’s high taxes. The 2015 building reports: Blue Mountains – $100 million, Grey Highlands $39 million and Meaford – $20 million. That’s why more people are building more homes in the “cheaper place to be”. People vote with their wallets, so that’s why Meaford has the lowest building permits of its surrounding municipalities.
Blue Mountain and Grey Highlands – hope Meaford keeps spending.
Doug Robinson, Leith
