OSHAWA IS A WINNER AT WHAT IT DOES BEST by Alan Slater

We in Oshawa should be aware that all is not doom and gloom. Oshawa has a great record in some important areas. Take taxes as an example.

Our residential tax rate takes the Gold at 1.76%, more than double Toronto's pathetic 0.85%, and well clear of the 1.19%average.

This stellar performance is topped by the Golden apartment rate of 3.06%, three times the anemic 1.01% of Markham, struggling at the bottom.

Oshawa falters a bit with the commercial rate, which only gets the Silver at 3.57%; Toronto has the Gold with 3.85%. There is hope, however. Toronto is shifting tax slowly from the commercial sector, to try to drag their residential rate from the dumpster, so that eventually Oshawa will be able to claim the Gold here also.

The industrial rate Gold goes to Oshawa with 5.34%, more than double the loser, Markham, with 2.59%. This is less important than it used to be.

So, with a clean sweep in sight, what is next? Oshawa's year over year tax increases used to be winners, with 9.8% in 2004, but they have sunk to a mere 4.61% in 2008. If Oshawa council can hunker down and give 110%, perhaps we can help Ontario to overtake Quebec in the race to charge the highest proportion of family pre-tax income to property taxes. Quebec claims 3.4%, to Ontario's 3.2%. Solid performances when compared to Nfld/Lab's 1.4%, and the national average of 2.9%.

We should honour Oshawa councillors for this sterling performance, and encourage them to strive for greater things yet. Is there a Nobel prize for Reckless Incompetence?

Perhaps not, but what we can do is to reward them by re-electing them next year, encouraging them to continue the good work.

Achieving accountability for Oshawa Taxpayers