To the editor,
Re: City property tax notices sent out, June 1.
After receiving my recent tax notice from the City of Nanaimo, we did some calculations and discovered our taxes have gone up a total of 39.7 per cent over the past two years. In 2021 we paid an additional $481 over the previous year and this year we will be expected to pay an additional $551 over last year’s taxes.
Could someone at city hall or on our illustrious city council possibly explain how they came to an average increase to home owners of six per cent? What great services are we getting for this increase? I am 80 years old and unable to ride a bike anymore.
Ellen Waatainen, Nanaimo
READ ALSO: Nanaimo city council finalizes this year’s property tax increase
To the editor,
My ‘thanks’ to the City of Nanaimo for causing my municipal taxes to rise by a whopping 11 per cent this year, and finally forcing me to put my home up for sale and move elsewhere. I would be most interested to know how many people in the city saw their salaries or pensions increase this year by even one-third that amount, and also why the current council feels it is appropriate to ever consider such exorbitant increases.
This seems to me to be a perfect example of what happens when the ‘No Down Payment’ party is voted into office anywhere, and this certainly reflects a willingness by the current council to just take whatever they feel they can from residents.
Did no one on council consider the current rate of inflation, and how financially vulnerable many owners and tenants are these days? And, of course, this increase falls right on the heels of increases to sewer, water and garbage rates. Personally, my only recourse is to defer my taxes for as long as possible, sell my residence, and hope that, at some point, officials who have a better understanding of finances are elected in this city. Hopefully, future councils will include very few of the current members.
Frank Lancaster, Nanaimo
READ ALSO: Nanaimo city council gives three readings to 2022 budget
To the editor,
We just got our property assessment from the city. A huge, greater-than-$800 increase that equals 33 per cent. What on Earth is the city thinking that this type of increase is acceptable? The claim by the city of an average $200 increase is pure fabrication. This extreme tax grab by the city cannot stand.
Robert Wager, Nanaimo
READ ALSO: City of Nanaimo property tax notices sent out
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