Whereas municipalities face growing infrastructure needs, including roads, bridges, public transit, water systems, and other critical services, which are essential to community well-being and economic development; and,
Whereas the current sources of municipal revenue, including property taxes and user fees, are insufficient to meet these increasing demands for infrastructure investment; and,
Whereas the Province of Ontario currently collects the Land Transfer Tax (LTT) on property transactions in municipalities across the province, generating significant revenue that is not directly shared with municipalities; and,
Whereas the Federal Government collects the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on property transactions, a portion of which could be directed to municipalities to address local infrastructure needs; and,
Whereas redistributing a portion of the LTT and GST to municipalities would provide a predictable and sustainable source of funding for local infrastructure projects without creating a new tax burden on residents or homebuyers; and,
Whereas a redistribution of a portion of the existing LTT and GST would allow municipalities to better plan and invest in long-term infrastructure initiatives, supporting local economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents.
Now therefore, be it resolved:
- That the Council of the Town of Whitby formally requests the Provincial Government to consider redistributing a portion of the Land Transfer Tax collected on property transactions to municipalities; and,
- That the Council of the Town of Whitby calls on the Federal Government to allocate a percentage of the Goods and Services Tax collected on property sales to municipalities; and,
- That this redistribution of the Land Transfer Tax and Goods and Services Tax should be structured to provide predictable and sustainable funding to municipalities, allowing for better long-term planning and investment in infrastructure projects that benefit local communities, thus ensuring that local governments receive a fair share of the revenue to address critical infrastructure needs; and,
- That the Province of Ontario consider AMO’s advocacy focused on the Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations, advocating for long-term and predictable infrastructure funding, and supporting on-going discussions around the importance of the development charge regime in funding housing-enabling infrastructure in many communities; and,
- That copies of this resolution be forwarded to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, the Ontario Minister of Finance, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Durham Region MPs and Durham Region MPPs; and,
- That copies of this resolution be forwarded to the local municipalities in Durham Region, the Region of Durham, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) for their endorsement and advocacy.