Discussions

Tax payment time again, and am wondering how many people think that too much (50%) or more of taxes is going to school boards.  
I know that the school board has to get their money somewhere but its time that EVERYBODY started paying equal.  
$3000.00 of a tax bill going to the schools is a little hard to swallow

Just a sec now. Go to the thread on PD days for schools. You will there realize that all these teachers take home extra work all the time, stay long hours to help students. Ummm....if you don't like it then get top marks in class, do many years of university, take out butt loads of loans, become a teacher.  
 
Be prepared to get so much flack about how hard teachers work and they deserve every last nickel and then a lot more.  
 
We will never get a straight answer when asking anything regarding public figures. Heck I can't even get a link confirmed if it is classes for PD days.

You should look into how much money of your tax dollars is being spent overseas rather then our local communities. Canada is spending billions on the UN when we could be investing that in our children and hospitals.

I think school funding should come from income taxes or provincial general revenues. property owners are not the only ones using the school system.

My comment is very much on point. Provincial taxes make up for roughly 60% of the BSD revenue. The problem in Canada is individuals are taxed to high, then that tax revenue is not being put to work back in the local communities. Some of it is, however there is a ton of tax money that goes to funding all kinds of issues overseas. Manitoba is lucky that the equalization payment formula remained the same & that we will receive $2 Billion from the feds.  
 
You have to remember that Canada is very much a socialistic country with services like healthcare & education both which are very expensive to fund. As Canada''''''''s populations grows these areas will have an increased demand resulting in more costs. There are only a few ways to pay these costs.  
1) Increase tax revenue  
2) Make cuts to other departments  
3) Redirect tax money to fund departments of most importance.  
 
Which one do you prefer? Or do you have an alternative strategy?  
 
Edited by BradZ, 2018-10-29 16:53:59

BradZ said "You should look into how much money of your tax dollars is being spent overseas rather then our local communities. Canada is spending billions on the UN when we could be investing that in our children and hospitals. "

That's a whole different tax system. This thread is about property taxes, NONE of which go outside the city/province.

JR said "    BradZ said "You should look into how much money of your tax dollars is being spent overseas rather then our local communities. Canada is spending billions on the UN when we could be investing that in our children and hospitals. " That's a whole different tax system. This thread is about property taxes, NONE of which go outside the city/province. "

How is this a different system? BSD is directly funded by the municipal & provincial government. The province can only give the school divisions so much money due to how much the province receives from the feds, & how much it takes in on provincial taxes. It all ties together... If the feds had more money to offer to the provinces, the provinces could invest more into schools decreasing the burden on the cities & towns.  
 
Edited by BradZ, 2018-10-29 17:01:03

I'm not saying teachers are the blame for the high tax, what I say is that everyone should be paying their fair share, not just land and property owners!

Dark man, I know your not blaming teacher, nobody is saying that. I would say most people are paying their fair share, it's how the money is being spent is the issue.

If they want to base school taxes on house/property they need to take into consideration the number of people living in the house. One town/municipality is looking into this. They have houses with multiple families with multiple kids (6-8) paying the same school tax base as the family with 1 or 2 kids. It needs to be spread more equally.

chrisanddave said "I think school funding should come from income taxes or provincial general revenues. property owners are not the only ones using the school system. "

It also forces school boards to work within a budget when they know they only have X amount of dollars to work with as opposed to knowing they can (and are expected to anyway) raise taxes.

So how does everyone feel about being taxed for municipal and school tax based upon your income. In your younger earning years you would pay less, due to lower wage as you learn your career path, you would pay higher during your prime years and again pay less in your senior years as your income declines. Seems to me to be the fairest way, as you have rich folks living in dumps and middle income folks living in Mcmansions.

Tunnelvision said "So how does everyone feel about being taxed for municipal and school tax based upon your income. In your younger earning years you would pay less, due to lower wage as you learn your career path, you would pay higher during your prime years and again pay less in your senior years as your income declines. Seems to me to be the fairest way, as you have rich folks living in dumps and middle income folks living in Mcmansions. "

To be honest I think the entire 'Mill rate" is flawed. My taxes were $6000/year when I lived in Brookwood area but I didn't receive any more garbage pick up than a person on 3rd and Lorne, I didn't get to stand in a VIP line at city hall because I was paying 2 to 3 times more than the people in line with me.  
 
And income taxes are a far more equitable way to see that everyone pays their share. Maybe I worked and saved and sold some properties to live in a nice house why should I have to pass on a new home just because it's going to cost me an additional $1000/year in school taxes?

I hate the way tax discourse is often had in many places, including here. Whether it''s school division, city or otherwise, it''s always about the cost. It''s an expense that no one wants.  
 
A far more healthy alternative would be to view it as an investment. The city or the school division that people utilize daily without tolls is not an expense, it''s an opportunity. One can skate by in throwing the bare minimum needed. But are we really better off that way in the long term?  
 
Heck, I''ve seen a few streets that are a mess even NOW (let alone in the long term).  
 
The taxation discourse is really ridiculous in what actions it manifests itself into. For example:  
 
1.)In the recent election, a good chunk of the trustees only ran on fiscal accountability  
 
2.) The mayor touted keeping taxes just under inflation as being a positive.  
 
Reading into this a bit:  
 
1.) The other 7 trustee''s and the taxpayers will keep any questionable financial decisions in line. So why not tell us HOW you will spend said money?  
 
That is an important determining factor in deciding if that is a good investment in the future of students going through the BSD system.  
 
2.) Inflation will only ever go up. Keeping taxes just below is kicking the can down the road. A bit like Winnipeg continually not investing in its water treatment system because it''s just too costly. Well, what do you think it will be NEXT YEAR?!  
 
I don''t know the best way to collect these sorts of taxes (property tax, income based, etc). None the less, I just don''t like the discourse. It is extremely short-sighted. Which is not what I expect out of something as important as a community. Of which it''s successes or failures has a direct impact on everyone residing within.  
 
Edited by Simonwalcal, 2018-10-30 12:30:57

Imagine how it feels being a home owner and paying that much for schools and you have no kids.  
 
I know I’ll get lots of noise for that comment but I couldn’t resist saying it

Daisyflower said "Imagine how it feels being a home owner and paying that much for schools and you have no kids.     I know I’ll get lots of noise for that comment but I couldn’t resist saying it "

I used to have the same sentiment. A big part of the reason I also didn't bother in participating in the trustee election process.  
 
But then I found myself reconsidering. My future is just as much in their hands as yours is in mine. The better equipped they are to face those increasingly large challenges, the better off we all are.  
 
Long term. Not short sighted.

Daisyflower said "Imagine how it feels being a home owner and paying that much for schools and you have no kids.     I know I’ll get lots of noise for that comment but I couldn’t resist saying it "

No you may not have kids, and in some ways I am inclined to agree with your sentiment because it is a large part of your property taxes that goes to the schools.  
 
But I also agree it's going into something good - which is educating our next generation. We just need to spend it wisely.  
 
And if we take a good look at it, most of our taxes are like this. As a small example a person may pay a ton of income taxes and rarely ever visit a doctor or a hospital, and the next guy who pays none may be in and out of the doctor or hospital all of the time. That's the socialism part of it. We take care of each other, and that just is what it is. The problem comes with those who are charged with spending it do a crap job. And sometimes those who don't pay take advantage of all of the services Canada provides for 'free'. That's the frustrating part.  
 
And don't even get me started on this bleeping carbon tax garbage on top of it all.

Another way (for some one with no kids and paying education tax), to look at is, that the kids you are paying to educate are the ones who will be providing services to you as you grow older. Doesn't matter what profession a student chooses they will help us all as we grow older.  
As far as to how to pay for education-property assessment was chosen because it is the most consistent stream of revenue. Right now the government would have to come up with 700 million dollars of general revenue to offset what is collected by property assessment for education, and that doesn't i:nclude the Farm Tax rebate or the Education Property Tax rebate.

Wondering where it’s gonna go? In Colorado of the 118 million in taxes collected in 2017, 41 million went to education! That would be a great help too us tax payers!  
Then again will probably line the politicians pockets!

SensibleFarmer said:  
Another way (for some one with no kids and paying education tax), to look at is, that the kids you are paying to educate are the ones who will be providing services to you as you grow older. Doesn't matter what profession a student chooses they will help us all as we grow older.  
As far as to how to pay for education-property assessment was chosen because it is the most consistent stream of revenue. Right now the government would have to come up with 700 million dollars of general revenue to offset what is collected by property assessment for education, and that doesn't i:nclude the Farm Tax rebate or the Education Property Tax rebate.  
----------------  
 
So many people don''t see that educating our young people is among the best ways to help our society stay productive, and give all of us the advantages of their education. Not having children is not a reason for people to not pay taxes that support the school system. I want my doctors, lawyers, accountants and trades people to have had access to the best education possible. We all benefit from the education our young people get.  
 
Edited by fargobob, 2018-10-30 22:54:54

I’ve always thought that there has to be a more fair way to raise money for schools. I think it should be based on income just like federal and provincial income taxes. Right now a multi millionaire can live in a small house or condo or apartment and pay less school tax than a young family with a modest income and no savings in a bigger newer house.

Shall we send the kids to go door to door to fundraiser for their education? You guys are so selfish. The generation before you paid for your education and when it''s time to do the same you complain! It''s this lack of forward thinking that got our planet into the environmental mess it's in.  
Education is critical to our future as a species so be glad it's something available to our kids.  
 
Edited by kärlek, 2018-10-31 06:16:22

Raising money from taxes can,and will always be a contentious issue, for myself the bigger problem is not the raising of money, but the spending of funds raised. When we are all complaining about taxes we should maybe look in the mirror. Taxes were never intended to cover all of our wishes, but were intended for funding our needs, but all of a sudden everything became a need.  
This is just my opinion, but the critical point of taxes related to the sustainability of the economy was crossed quite a while back. Government is no longer a follower in the economy, but a leader, from the e 1960's onward we have left the idea of production and left governments in charge of expanding and cooling the economy. Jobs in both the private sector as well as government have administration and supervisory positions nearing 30%. We have forgotten that what drives economies at the most fundimental level and have created a spending problem in government that is unsustainable and at times irresponsible, all based on what we see as needs.  
We have created a situation that is nearly impossible to undo.

kärlek said "Shall we send the kids to go door to door to fundraiser for their education? You guys are so selfish. The generation before you paid for your education and when it''s time to do the same you complain! It''s this lack of forward thinking that got our planet into the environmental mess it's in.   Education is critical to our future as a species so be glad it's something available to our kids.     Edited by kärlek, 2018-10-31 06:16:22"

The question is "is there another way to fund it that is more fair and equitable than property taxes"...which is what everyone is trying to figure out here.  
 
For example...Why does a guy in a $500,000 house pay $3000/year to fund education when someone in a rental pays next to nothing? You can't even say their rent i:ncludes a portion of taxes because rental increases don't ever keep pace with the tax increases...

MrDobalina said "    kärlek said "Shall we send the kids to go door to door to fundraiser for their education? You guys are so selfish. The generation before you paid for your education and when it''s time to do the same you complain! It''s this lack of forward thinking that got our planet into the environmental mess it's in.   Education is critical to our future as a species so be glad it's something available to our kids.     Edited by kärlek, 2018-10-31 06:16:22" The question is "is there another way to fund it that is more fair and equitable than property taxes"...which is what everyone is trying to figure out here.     For example...Why does a guy in a $500,000 house pay $3000/year to fund education when someone in a rental pays next to nothing? You can't even say their rent i:ncludes a portion of taxes because rental increases don't ever keep pace with the tax increases... "

There are comments in this thread that indicate certain folks don't want to pay into education, which is incredibly short sighted. As well as have a problem with the amount etc. Do we want a generation of idiots? No. We need to educate our citizens so we have a future.  
 
Perhaps taxes can be collected differently but it seems like people in Brandon don't care - the 17% voter turn out speaks for itself.  
 
Furthermore, the people in rentals are paying for the taxes too, just not directly. The building they live in has property taxes, which a portion of their rent will cover.

MrDobalina said "    kärlek said "Shall we send the kids to go door to door to fundraiser for their education? You guys are so selfish. The generation before you paid for your education and when it''s time to do the same you complain! It''s this lack of forward thinking that got our planet into the environmental mess it's in.   Education is critical to our future as a species so be glad it's something available to our kids.     Edited by kärlek, 2018-10-31 06:16:22" The question is "is there another way to fund it that is more fair and equitable than property taxes"...which is what everyone is trying to figure out here.     For example...Why does a guy in a $500,000 house pay $3000/year to fund education when someone in a rental pays next to nothing? You can't even say their rent i:ncludes a portion of taxes because rental increases don't ever keep pace with the tax increases... "

So what you are saying is that the landlord is taking a loss? That's very nice! People paying out of their pockets and taking a loss, and paying the taxes on the tenant's behalf. I always thought that building owners and landlords actually operated their properties at a net gain,m rather than a loss...I guess I've been wrong...landlords are essentially operating subsidized housing...NICE!

https://www.taxtips.ca/mbtax/schooltaxcredit.htm