Fair taxes for rural, waterfront property owners

To the Editor,

As president of the Kapoa representing Kamaniskeg area property owners in Madawaska Valley and Hastings Highland I fully appreciate the taxation disparity reported recently in the “Taxation for fair value” article. As waterfront and rural property owners we are taxed excessively and are often ignored for the services we require.

As a property owner association I think it is high time we had a voice in our municipal councils management and delivery of the services we are paying so heavily for, and are not receiving. It is good to see improvements in our towns and villages but that must be balanced with services to those in the outlying areas.

We need elected representatives acting on our behalf to ask the question; “How does spending serve the people paying the bills?”

Much of our taxes go to serve the social good, we pay taxes to support local schools our children will never attend, arenas they will never skate in, parks we will never use, all for the common good.

Meanwhile due to the disparity created by the property value assessment and our mill rates we are now carrying the main tax load at an ever increasing rate.

It is time we start demanding the services we are paying for. It is time to look at balancing the mill rates.

Are you paying $4,000 to $6,000 a year in taxes and have a road that has not been repaved in 40 years that is now more patch than it is road? Well time to speak up and have a voice as rate payers.

Join KAPOA at www.kapoa.ca

Ed Kobylka,

President Kapoa