Re: Council brings back tax bylaw, pg. 1, June 4 Gazette.
To say times have been tough for many Albertans is an understatement and obviously Didsbury has felt
that economic pain. As one who has been invested in the community for quite some time I can be the
first to say I have not always agreed with the decisions and direction of the town; heck, I think I may
have made the papers a few times myself in the last few years.
Recently I have watched as the City of Calgary has struggled under the weight of commercial vacancy
and skyrocketing business and residential taxes; the sad reality of restaurants going from $75,000 per
year to $200,000 in taxes is overwhelming to say the least.
The state of our provincial finances has been influenced by poor economic decisions on a provincial and federal level for sure, but that does not mean we blame it all on the NDP or Liberal governments; maybe we have blown all the previous boom money?
As Didsbury council and administration have moved forward with changes in property taxes I have
noticed something different from what I expected.
Firstly they have decreased their yearly tax revenue over 2018 by almost $100,000 and can still operate
effectively. Whenever I have to stand up to be counted it's nice to not have to stand alone and be the
only one to tighten the belt.
Secondly the small increase in residential taxes is mostly for education and Mountain View Seniors'
Housing, both of which I will always support and defend. I have realized that with the assessed values
on houses coming down that there would actually be little to no increase for most residents at all so
in essence it's a wash.
When values go back up we may pay more tax as a result, but we should also have more disposable income to cover this as the economy grows.
Thirdly the non-residential tax rate including commercial taxes only had an increase on education and
seniors' housing and the town actually decreased municipal taxes. In an economy where 70 per cent of all
jobs are based on small business this could really come as a signal Didsbury is open for business.
There seems to be a wind of change, a new hope on the horizon and many, myself included, have been
quick to criticize and slow to compliment. So in true Albertan style I would have to give this one to the
mayor and town council and administration.
Hats off and thank you for some positive steps towards building the economy of the community. Let’s
continue to move forward in a spirit of unity and growth.
James Carpenter,
Didsbury
