With her Charter for Regions, the Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Dominique Anglade wants to give additional power and means back to the regions. This will include an in-depth review of municipal taxation. Municipalities are in the best position to evaluate their citizens’ needs and Ms. Anglade believes that it is time to review their revenue sources to allow them to properly fulfill their mission.
Property taxes are the main source of revenue for municipalities, but they are no longer sufficient to provide the local services that are important to Quebecers. That is why during its first mandate, the Liberal Party of Quebec is committed to reviewing the municipal tax system through consultations with local stakeholders. However, this review must not result in any tax increase for citizens.
We also want to add mechanisms to ensure that any increase in municipal responsibilities from Quebec City is accompanied by the financial or fiscal means to address them.
Also, a Liberal government will ensure that Quebec pays all of its municipal taxes, which is not currently the case. In fact, the Quebec government does not pay all of its property taxes on buildings that it owns, such as schools or administrative offices. This represents a significant loss of revenue for cities and towns and the Liberal Party is committed to changing this.
“Municipalities have more and more responsibility. Their citizens’ needs are increasing, but their means are not increasing at a comparable rate. It is time return additional means to the regions and cities, as set out in our Charter of the Regions.”
– Dominique Anglade, Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
