REGINA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is launching a new petition calling on the government to change provincial laws to give rural residents who are upset about high property and school taxes a lawful and democratic alternative to the tax revolt that is currently sweeping the countryside.

"Rural citizens should not have to resort to civil disobedience as a means of fighting high taxes. Instead, they need binding taxpayer protection and citizen initiative mechanisms at both the local and provincial levels by which they can have a direct say on their taxes," says Richard Truscott, Saskatchewan Director of the CTF.

According to figures recently released by the CTF, the property tax bill for farmers has increased by 52% since 1986, while school taxes in rural areas have jumped 100% since 1985. As farm income problems linger, taxpayers in dozens of rural municipalities are proceeding to pass resolutions threatening to stop paying their taxes. "Many rural residents believe that withholding taxes in a tax revolt is the only way to fight local tax increases," notes Truscott. "Instead, our governments need to give this tax protest needs a democratic outlet."

"If citizen initiative mechanisms were available, rural citizens who are now considering a tax revolt could put their energy into petitioning for local and province-wide referendums on taxes," says Truscott. "It would be a democratic means compelling politicians to roll tax rates back and put any future tax increases to a referendum."

The CTF is again calling on the provincial government to launch a comprehensive review of property taxes similar to the recent examination of the province's income tax system.

Although local governments are bearing the brunt of taxpayer discontent over property taxes, Truscott says that the province is to blame for off-loading the tax burden onto rural municipalities. "To balance its books and provide some token tax relief on the income tax side in the past few years, the provincial government has spread the pain but ducked the blame by offloading onto local governments and the tax burden onto local taxpayers. But the finger should be pointed squarely at the provincial government," stated Truscott.

As for the growing tax revolt, Truscott warns, "If the provincial government is unwilling to give hard-pressed rural citizens some property or school tax relief, or a legitimate outlet for their tax protest, they must bear much of the responsibility if there is indeed a full-blown tax revolt."