The war taxes in Laval

Matthew Payen

Tuesday, 5 September 2017, 06:30

UPDATE
Tuesday, 5 September 2017, 06:30

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The four opponents of the mayor of Laval, Marc Demers, the municipal elections promise to freeze or lower taxes, which would be irresponsible, according to the outgoing mayor.

Municipal elections will take place on 3 November, but already, the record of taxes creates a stir in Laval.

“It is necessary to ignore all of the authority of a city to consider a freeze of taxes over several years. This is a proposal irresponsible, ” said Mr. Demers.

He quotes the debt of Laval and the deficit of the pension fund of the employees of the City to support his point.

Yet, its four rivals have also done their calculations and they all make the same observation : the Residents are too taxed.

“For the past three years, the taxes have climbed 6.5 per cent in Laval, it is much more than inflation, denounces Michel Trottier, Party candidate, Laval. We know that every year the City is surplus. According to our accountants and tax specialists, we can freeze taxes for the next four years without having to change the services to the citizens. “

Respite for families

For Sonia Baudelot, a candidate for the Future Laval, it is even possible to promise a freeze for eight years, with a decrease of 0.6 % in the first year. “We want to provide respite to families, she said. Currently, one in four children lives in poverty in Laval, this is not acceptable. “

The current leader of the opposition and candidate of the Action Laval, Jean-Claude Gobé, promises as to a decline of 3 % in the first year, then a freeze or a decrease depending on the margin of manoeuvre that it will release. “I financerai with surplus financial reserves and I abolirai the fund Place-of-Remembrance,” says the politician, in speaking of the fund created by the fees reimbursed by the ex-mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, who was sentenced for fraud.

Finally, Alain Lecompte, a candidate for the Alliance of counsellors autonomous, also on the surplus proceeds to provide a gel of the taxes. “I even considered a drop, but I don’t want to move forward as we will not have all the data in hand,” he says.

In the Face of this chorus of promises, the mayor Demers does not wish to repeat what he had done in 2013, is to freeze taxes in the first year. “The indicators that we had that time we were thinking that it was a calculated risk. But today, this is not healthy, ” he says.

Frustration

Mr. Demers promises, however, to keep the increase of taxation below the threshold level of inflation.

For Mr Gobé, this position is inadequate and creates frustration. “It is necessary to add the continuous rise of property assessment, which weighs on the owners “, he recalls.

Ms. Baudelot goes further. “Our streets are full of holes and poorly cleared of snow, then, with such a level of taxation, there is a risk to see the people move north,” she said.

“It just breaks the heart to say it, but many citizens say to me that they were better served under Vaillancourt “, stated Mr. Trottier.

Unfazed, the mayor Demers made the back round. “I’m not sure that the taxation is a big concern of the population,” he says. His team would have in hand the evidence encrypted the disaster incurred by the City in the event of freezing of the taxes, but did not want to provide it to the Log.

The five candidates and their promises

What they have said about…

Marc Demers

Photo courtesy

Snow removal

“We’ve had problems with contractors who were loading the snow. We have changed our ways of calls for tender to address the problem. “

The Place Bell

“We are in the time frame advertised and at the advertised price. It is valuable that our children can rub shoulders with the players of hockey professionals. “

The train of the Fund

“We are working to reduce the negative impacts on the population. But there is no added service for Laval, and not of value added. “

Jean-Claude Gobé

Photo courtesy

Snow removal

“The current system is poorly coordinated. However, it is possible to remove snow without creating snowbanks in front of the entrance of people. “

The Place Bell

“This project comes from the era when they bought the votes with major infrastructure. In the end, it is a fiasco architectural which will only serve a small number of people. “

The train of the Fund

“The project is excellent in principle, but it would have to be integrated into a real plan of metropolitan transport. “

Michel Trottier

Photo courtesy

Snow removal

“I had never seen so many citizens come to complain during the sessions of the municipal council. We must remember to clear sidewalks, not just the streets, because people walk more and more in Laval. “

The Place Bell

“Mr. Demers has embedded in the shoes of Mr. Vaillancourt to kick major projects without consulting the population. People want to see instead of local services. “

The train of the Fund

“This is an extraordinary project. Laval residents will be able to travel by public transport to the airport or to the mont Saint-Hilaire. “

Sonia Baudelot

Photo courtesy

Snow removal

“If I am elected, I will bring each year the same amount for snow because every winter there are heavy storms. “

The Place Bell

“The Residents have paid for its construction, they will now have to pay for its use. And then, there is a lack of ice anywhere in Laval, then this is not the solution. “

The train of the Fund

“It is a good thing. In Europe, all by train, it saves the citizens and it reduces the traffic. “

Alain Lecompte

Photo courtesy

Snow removal

“We want to stop pair of the winter parking and snow removal for not having to move his car, if this is not necessary. “

The Place Bell

“It is a piece of equipment that does not touch the citizens. The Residents do not want a city centre. “

The train of the Fund

“It’s expensive, and decisions are made quickly, but it is a good idea. We hope that the citizens who will live with the work should not be too affected. “