REPORT TO WRAFT MEMBERS
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
May, 2007
This is a follow-up to our April 2007 Report. Its five months till Election time.
We are now initiating, along with our CAPTR partners, a massive letter writing campaign. Activating your membership is the key.
We have redesigned our CAPTR website, www.captr.org. Go to it for instructions for emailing your MPP. Send a copy to the Finance Minister at gsorbara.mpp@liberal.ola.org and a copy to us at captr@sympatico.ca. If you want to send a real letter send it to Hon. Greg Sorbara, Minister of Finance, 7th floor, Frost Bldg South, 7 Queens Park Cres., Toronto M7A 1T7
Some folks have asked what they should say in their email or letter. Please reread the material we sent you in April. Basically tell your MPP and the Finance Minister that the Liberal plan for a four year assessment cycle and four year phase-in just doesn't cut it. It's purely a band-aid. Only a cap on assessment increases will deal with the volatility which is the fundamental problem with the present system.
We don't believe in form letters so personalize your letter.
- Say how you have been hit with unmanageable tax increases.
- Say that your income is not increasing at anywhere close to the rate of increase in your taxes. If you're retired mention that.
- Say that you don't want to sell your property but may be forced to do so. Say that you are a second generation cottager and had hoped to leave the property to the kids but even if you can hang on, they won't be able to afford it.
- Say that cottaging is going to only be available to the wealthy.
- Say whatever fits your situation.
- Finally say that both opposition parties have put forward proposals which would fix the volatility and the election is only a few months away. The Liberal government still has time to fix their band-aid scheme by adding a cap.
As mentioned in our April report, we will be phoning as many of you as possible in the next few weeks to see how we can assist you in activating your membership. Property tax reform is a critical issue on waterfront across Ontario. We need your help to get the system fixed.
We are also mailing this report to you and enclosing a poster which we encourage you to display at appropriate locations. Clear plastic protectors can be obtained at Staples for outside use. A sample is enclosed. Hang it with the closed end up. Put it up in obvious places, on the local bulletin board, at the marina or the general store
One final matter you can help us with. We need real life examples of people who have sold their waterfront properties because of high taxes and are sufficiently upset that they are willing to talk about it. This would be a great assist in our effort to get the attention of both the media and the politicians. Please let us know if you can help in this search. If you have names and contact information, we can follow up and try to enlist their support.
Thanks for your help
Bob Topp, Executive Director