It’s becoming harder and harder to afford living in Saanich. One of the big contributors to that is the constant increase of property taxes. For the past number of years, taxes have been rising faster the rate of inflation - that’s unsustainable. Along with sky-high housing prices, it’s no wonder people are forced to leave Saanich and live elsewhere.
Rather than endlessly raising property taxes on everyday residents who are already struggling to get by, our municipality needs to work towards saving resources and making services more efficient. We can also expand our tax base by bringing in new sources of revenue from increasing density in key areas such as Uptown and Shelbourne. It’s important that new developments include affordable housing and some commercial space, since businesses pay higher tax rates and provide amenities.
We are so lucky to call this beautiful part of the world home, but we need to address this affordability crisis so people can continue to live in the community they love.
Ned Taylor
Saanich