To the editor,
Nanaimo homeowners have seen property taxes increase dramatically for years.
The new council has been a disappointment. Taxes continue to rise annually well beyond the increases in wages. Many are struggling, especially now with the over 13-per cent unemployment rate because of COVID-19. The increase in taxes is unconscionable.
You are elected to clean up garbage, maintain our roads, meridians and sidewalks. These have been an embarrassment for a decade or more. You are not elected to pursue social engineering to change our lifestyles and habits. We do not need bike lanes. Few of us, families and seniors, will use them. We need roads, clean meridians and sidewalks.
Why is there no council that will address this? We will be out in force again to vote you out. I did my research carefully. I am especially disappointed in business owners that went along with this socialist agenda. So see you all at the next election. Nanaimo wants clean streets and a city that we can be proud of.
Linda Keays, Nanaimo
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Property tax increase ‘heartless’ in these hard times
To the editor,
You can imagine our surprise when our property tax bill arrived with a 10.4-per cent increase. We were expecting a lower increase as announced by the city in May.
We sought an answer from city staff, and the response stated that because our house assessment had gone up $40,000, the higher assessment triggered the increase higher than we had anticipated.
One wonders why the City of Nanaimo announced earlier that it was looking at ways it can lessen the property tax bills for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we were expecting a modest increase, this was far beyond what we’d anticipated. Pensions for seniors like us have not increased much, nor have wages for working people. This increase feels rather like a ‘bait-and-switch’ approach. We were led to believe one thing, yet received another. This 10.4-per cent unexpected increase will be hard for seniors and young families alike.
At the bare minimum, one expects more honesty and transparency in the City of Nanaimo’s announcements in the future.
Charles and Virginia Brucker, Nanaimo
The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of Black Press or the Nanaimo News Bulletin. If you have a different view, we encourage you to write to us or contribute to the discussion below.