The Kent Federation of Agriculture is expressing concern about a recent decision by Chatham-Kent Council to examine a potential increase to the farm tax ratio.
At its last meeting on April 3, council narrowly passed a motion put forward by West Kent Councillor Lauren Anderson to consult with stakeholders about possibly raising the farm tax class ratio from 22 per cent to 23 per cent.
During the meeting, Anderson pointed out that Chatham-Kent has one of the lowest agriculture tax ratios in the province. The majority of Ontario’s 400 municipalities have a farm tax class ratio of 25 per cent.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA) said increasing the tax rate “could put undue burden on the agricultural community.”
Council has examined a possible increase to the farm tax rate in the past, however, it was previously decided that council would refrain from making any changes until new assessment rates were released by MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation). Due to delays caused by the pandemic, the earliest those assessments would be released is next year.
The KFA is urging council to wait until MPAC has brought new data forward before taking any action.
“To make a decision on changing the farm tax ratio without using current MPAC data would mean that council intends to make decisions with a blind fold on,” said KFA President Brad Snobelen in a statement. “This decision should be made when all current information can be analyzed and ensure that all rate payers are sharing the burden equally.”
Municipal administration will prepare a tax policy report on the farm tax ratio, which will be presented to council for discussion at its next meeting on April 24.