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In the spirit of ensuring greater transparency in government, providing more accountability, and asking if taxpayers receive value for their money from Ontario municipalities, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) recently released its first report on municipal spending comparisons.

The Report Card on Municipal Performance Measurements, -which collected 12 sets of spending measures for 2000 & 2001 from 70 municipalities in Ontario - will permit voters to evaluate local spending, and where necessary, press for better use of tax dollars. This will be useful to taxpayers when they cast a vote in municipal elections in November.

The Report Card highlights some interesting results, but the best information for people wishing to review how well their hometown is doing is the raw data and rankings found in the report's appendices. The full report is available online at www.taxpayer.com.

Under the provincial government's own Municipal Performance Measurement Program, Ontario municipalities are required to collect specific spending data, submit the information to the province, and publicize the results. Yet Queen's Park does not release the information to the public and the reporting requirements do not ensure wide distribution. The provincial government must assume its leadership role and make the data available. Until they do, the CTF will collect and issue this information to taxpayers.

Today, Ontario has the highest per capita property taxes in the country. In 1998, property taxes jumped to $949 per capita from $714 in 1997 - a 33 per cent increase. They reached a peak of $992 in 1999 and declined slightly to $911 in 2001. When compared to other provinces, only Quebec, at $827, approaches Ontario's property tax levels. (All dollars are adjusted for inflation.)

Along with the highest property taxes, Ontario also has the highest spending by local government. In 2001, per capita municipal spending was $1,920. The next closest province was Alberta where spending reached $1,554.

The 1990s marked a period of belt tightening and a review of government services in both Queen's Park and Ottawa, but a similar sweeping re-think in Ontario's municipalities did not occur. Municipal politicians largely failed to make the same tough spending choices and to prioritize their own operations. Municipalities have yet to grasp the new post-deficit reality: that governing is about making choices with available tax dollars.

A maddening trend with local governments has been to press for more taxing and spending powers while neglecting primary responsibilities, which is to provide essential municipal services at a reasonable cost to taxpayers. For example, despite high property taxes it is hardly an exaggeration to suggest Ontario suffers from an infrastructure deficit. It is time to turn our attention to local government and demand local politicians keep property taxes down and, where necessary, make infrastructure spending a larger priority. The solution is not more taxes.

The Report Card on Municipal Performance Measurements will put local government under a microscope, and give taxpayers a better idea how tax dollars are spent. Municipalities that score well will serve as an example to others, and those that lag behind will have an opportunity to improve their performance. Providing better government and controlling costs is something all taxpayers deserve.