FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2003

Retroactive tax increase called “unfair” to Tourism Industry

(Queen’s Park) – Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Victoria-Brock, in a statement in the Legislature yesterday, asked the Minister of Finance to review the decision of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation to increase taxes on trailers in Ontario’s campgrounds.

In November the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation issued “omitted assessment notices” to campground owners so that they may collect more taxes on trailers on their grounds. More onerous was the decision to do so retroactively on their 2003 tax year.

Ms. Scott said, “ the increase in this tax is unwarranted and the fact that it is retroactive is hurtful to the hard working tourism operators in my riding and across Ontario.” Laurie asked the Minister to review this increase and its’ retroactivity.

“These small business owners in my riding and around the province cannot afford this type of increase,” Laurie said. “Preventing jobs and prosperity in this region is not what the people expected from this government.”

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