By Lisa Schick

Education property tax increase considered by Sask. government

Mar 11, 2015 | 5:07 PM

Education property taxes in Saskatchewan could be rising in the wake of falling provincial revenues due in part to dropping oil prices.
 
At the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convention Wednesday morning, Premier Brad Wall mentioned that the government is looking at a possible increase.
 
Wall said that the Sask Party’s goal when it took office in 2007was to bring education property taxes down to 40 per cent paid by property owners, and 60 per cent paid by the government.
 
According to Wall, education property taxes pay for about one-third of education spending, while the government takes care of the other two-thirds. He said the government is considering raising that to 40 per cent.
 
“As we have a very difficult budget, we’re looking at the option of maybe just moving it back to that 40/60 goal we had. It would still be a dramatic reduction in education property tax over the situation we inherited in 2007.”
 
The official opposition NDP is crying foul at the news, saying the province didn’t save any money from resources over the past ten years, and is now scrambling for more.
 
“Wall threatened to cut the share municipalities get, which hurts property tax payers, and now he’s threatened another hit to families with an education property tax increase. It’s unacceptable,” said Trent Wotherspoon, NDP deputy leader, in a news release.
 
One way or the other, the details of the budget will be public when it is released next Wednesday.

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