One message is coming through loud and clear to the man heading a study into the way Saskatchewan funds education – the reliance on property tax is too great.
That’s no surprise to Ray Boughen.
A former educator and mayor, he’s observed the issue from all sides.
“We’ve tapped out the property owners,” he said.
“They want us to back off reliance on property tax. That’s been loud and clear.”
With public meetings still to be held in the province’s two largest cities next week, he didn’t expect to hear anything different than what he heard in rural centres.
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The question for him now is what to suggest the government do to fix the problem.
People attending the meetings have put forward different recommendations, including transferring education funding to income tax or increasing one of the other taxes, such as the provincial sales tax.
Boughen said once he is done gathering information he will look at the incidence of certain requests and recommendations and try to do what people want.
Suggestions coming from school boards and individuals vary in their methods.
For example, Doug Watson of Yellow Grass offered a two-part solution. He suggested the government create a residential property tax base.
“All people live in a residence and generally they live in the house they can afford,” Watson said in his brief.
This type of tax would leave local autonomy in the hands of school boards but require that a tax be levied on farm homes. Currently, farm homes are not assessed or taxed.
Watson also said education tax should be removed from all land. Instead, farm buildings should be taxed, which would put them in the same category as other businesses.
“All of these assets are depreciable and this would be more equitable with other businesses,” he wrote.
Victor Hult of Waseca urged the commission to develop a funding system that is fair and equitable.
In his submission, he said he was concerned the provincial government had already decided what it wanted to do and the commission was only a smokescreen.
“I challenge this commission to prove me wrong. Bring out a recommendation that doesn’t attack our tax base. Bring in a recommendation that can be worked in over a series of years that doesn’t leave school boards scrambling trying to balance budgets,” he wrote.
The 16 public meetings conclude next week with stops in Saskatoon Sept. 3 and Meadow Lake Sept. 4, and Boughen will issue an interim report Sept. 30.
However, written briefs may be submitted until Nov. 7.
The commissioner also plans to hold an invitational symposium on the issue on Oct. 30. His final report is due by the end of the year.
Written submissions are posted on the commission’s website, which can be found by visiting www.producer.com and clicking on links in the news.
