LIBERALS DEFEAT BILL THAT WOULD HAVE PUT THOUSANDS BACK IN SENIORS HANDS
(Queen?s Park) May 29, 2008 ? Members of the PC and NDP caucuses joined ranks to support Thornhill Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman?s Bill 78, which WOULD HAVE provided real relief for low-income seniors and disabled persons struggling with skyrocketing property tax and assessment rates.
?Bill 78 would have provided thousands of dollars in property tax relief annually to low-income seniors and disabled persons,? said Shurman. ?Contrast that with the meagre $250 proposed by the Liberals. This fall, the property assessment freeze will be lifted and property owners across Ontario will be hit with three years worth of increases. Which will help seniors more? $250 or the thousands of dollars proposed by Bill 78? This was a no-brainer!?
?This was a win-win proposal. The only conclusion to be drawn from this was that the Liberal caucus defeated Bill 78 because it was not a Liberal bill. Again, they put their partisanship ahead of the needs of Ontarians and in particular our seniors and disabled persons,? said Shurman.
Quotes from today?s debate:
?This bill will allow low-income seniors and disabled persons to remain independent in their homes longer. It will stimulate the economy by providing additional disposable income to low-income seniors and disabled persons, and it will provide a common property tax deferral property program across Ontario and get rid of the current patchwork system.?
Peter Shurman, PC MPP Thornhill
?Of course there is a threat this year; we are already hearing the news reports of this triple whammy after assessments had been frozen for the three previous years. That?s certainly going to be reflected in my communities, and certainly seniors and other vulnerable people on fixed incomes are simply not going to have the means nor the resources to accommodate these huge increases in their property assessments.?
Laurie Scott, PC MPP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
?From time to time, and it?s rare unfortunately, opposition members? private bills go to committee and after fine tuning in committee they get passed. I believe strongly this bill should go to committee...?
Peter Kormos, NDP MPP Welland
?Unlike the comments by the member for Davenport?$250 and $500 is not going to do very much, particularly when on a modest income you?re looking at taxes, certainly in the city of Toronto?I?m sure in Thornhill as well?of at least $4,000 to $5,000 and more per year. I know in my riding I have seniors who are going to lose their houses if something isn?t done when these new assessments come out.?
Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP Parkdale-High Park
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