This is just one more example of the government making policy on the fly, without any concept of planning. Gibbons pointed out that today s announcement of the education property tax cut and capping the growth rate at 2 percent per year over the next three years represents a complete policy U-turn by the Klein government. Consistently, over the past year, the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs have stated in question period that the increase in provincial education property taxes was simply the result of growth in assessment. With today s announcement, the Premier is admitting that his government has been consistently raising education property taxes over the past five years. The Official Opposition continues to believe that education property tax reform must be part of the complete overhaul of funding arrangements between the provincial government and local authorities, with an emphasis on clarifying roles and responsibilities, and creating true partnerships.
Education is fundamental to the development of our communities and our economy.