Ben Schmidt

Ben - "Jack, as I'm sure you're well aware, the New Brunswick Real Estate Association has been lobbying the electoral candidates and their parties about their stances on the issues surrounding property taxes. The three issues being assessments, low income families and double tax. Are you aware of these issues?

Jack - "Absolutely.

Ben - "My first question is regarding assessments. Do you feel as a New Brunswick homeowner yourself, that the way we are assessing these homes is clear and easy to understand as well, do you feel it follows fair market value?

Jack - "No, absolutely not. There are two systems that make up for the very confusing tax system and they are the tax rate and the assessment. The assessment is theoretically based on market value and the tax rate is based on something else. We do feel that the whole property tax system needs to be reformed in a very, very comprehensive way, to make it fair. We know for example that senior citizens are being squeezed out of their homes perhaps because some development has happened in their area and their real estate values have gone up, arbitrarily, and through no fault of their own. My mother is 86 years old and lives in her home, property taxes have gone up around her, but she still only receives the same services she always has. So there is no rationale or system of justice, so we really do need to reform the entire system.

Ben - "So that addressed a bit of my second question, which is low income, fixed income families such as seniors, that are being driven out of their homes, because of rising assessments and rates. Do you have a plan you would put in place that would address this issue?

Jack - "Absolutely. If you got to our website www.greenpartynb.ca you're going to find a whole section on property taxes. On the kind of reforms that we need to take. We've meet with the New Brunswick Real Estate Association before, by the way, and we have received their submission and many of the changes that were recommended by the New Brunswick Real Estate Board we agreed with. We agreed with them, even before they made their presentation. In fact when they had made the presentation, we had already shown them our policy and we found that things very much lined up. But rather, than being extremely specific, while we know that changes have to come, we also know we are going to have to sit down at the table and say as we change this, and as we know we've got to go to a new system, which we're committed to. We have to bring all of the stakeholders in to address all of these issues. But I think you will be quite surprised when you do go to www.greenpartynb.ca there is a lot there on property taxes.

Ben - "So the last questions revolves around double taxation. I said it before, we are the only province in Canada, that has double tax on non-owner occupied properties.

Jack - "A complete social injustice. When you stop and think about who are living in there: single mothers, families starting out, working poor, students, seniors, and people who choose to live in apartments for their own reasons. It is a complete social injustice, and we have written about this in the newspaper, in our platform. The first item we put on our agenda, as we started the Green Party, that this was one of the issues. So what that means is, two houses exactly the same as I've done in Moncton, NB, one was privately owned and the other housed four families. And the one that housed four families was taxed at twice the rate than that of the private family home. It's just simply not fair, and we are completely committed to eliminating that tax immediately, when we are elected.

We've put a lot of effort into our platform. It's a comprehensive 32 page document and there is a whole section on property taxes and the reforms that need to take place in New Brunswick, especially when it come to double taxation. We've worked with Willie Sholten, the head of the Landlord's Association of New Brunswick and encouraged them to launch their campaign of "Axe the Tax". We told them we're fighting for it too. It needs to be fought and we will not stop until this horrendous tax is eliminated in New Brunswick. It is the only tax that the Green Party is committed to reducing and eliminating. We are not going to promise people lower taxes everywhere we go. In fact, in some places, we have to take some hard medicine, but on the property tax, it's just not fair. When you think about the people who live in the apartments, they are actually the ultimate green livers. If you took an apartment building that had 800 units in it, and broke that down into 800 family homes, then look at the substructure you need: water lines, streets, lights, lawns, how much land mass that would take up. Saint John's Century 21, would probably take up to 10 blocks, 30/40 times the amount of size they take up in the apartment building. And they don't even get their garbage picked up, where as the private family homes get their garbage picked up. So this injustice has to stop. We've written about it in the Telegraph- Journal, we've talked about it at every speaking arrangement we get a chance to. We've even approached the real estate boards, the landlords and tenancy association of New Brunswick, every group that's interested in this issue.

If you'd like to get a hold of Jack MacDougall or the Green Party you can reach them at www.greenpartynb.ca or email them at info@greenpartynb.ca

If you have any questions about property taxes or a general question for a Realtor give me an email ben.schmidt@me.com