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Facing an outcry over high property taxes, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says provincial assessment services need an overhaul, and is musing that it could be farmed out to a private company or a new, standalone Crown corporation.
"Here we have a case where assessments are up because the population's up and the demand's up, so the market has improved," Higgs said."People aren't really questioning the value of their homes. They're questioning the taxes that are related to that value.
"I know the municipalities have increased costs, the same as we do. Our costs of operating government have gone up dramatically. So, I know they're faced with the same thing. But let's all look at where the opportunity can and cannot be and find out other sources of revenue." Municipal leaders in the province have long complained they need more sources of revenue to keep their communities running.
Higgs said he'd analyzed charts that show property tax rates are much higher in New Brunswick than in neighbouring Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. In his speech, Legacy criticized the Tory government for still charging a rate of $19.40 for every $100,000 of assessed property just to do the assessment work. With property values going up, some people were seeing that charge rise dramatically. Legacy called for a flat rate that would charge everyone the same. Higgs acknowledged the rate should be part of any review.
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