• Taxpayers Federation releases Report Card on Ontario Municipalities
• Ontario cities have highest per capita spending and property taxes in Canada
• Municipal politicians advised to focus on primary spending responsibilities
• Ontario government urged to release municipal performance data

Municipal Report Card (376 KB)

Toronto - The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today released its first comprehensive report of municipal spending comparisons. The Report Card collected 12 sets of spending measures for 2000 & 2001 from 70 Ontario municipalities. "Taxpayers can compare the results from their hometown with other municipalities, and where necessary press for spending changes and a better use of tax dollars," said CTF Ontario director John Williamson. "This Report Card will be useful to taxpayers so they can cast a more informed vote in municipal elections on November 10."

The province of Ontario has the highest per capita spending by local governments in the country, and the highest per capita property taxes. The CTF Report Card highlights some general results, and the raw data along with eight specific rankings (provided in the report's appendices) is available to all taxpayers at www.taxpayer.com.

Williamson noted that taxpayers need these comparative signposts to accurately rate and evaluate their local government. "A maddening trend with local governments has been the tendency of municipal politicians to constantly press for more taxing and spending powers while neglecting their primary responsibilities, which is to provide essential municipal services at a reasonable cost to taxpayers," said Williamson. "For example, it is hardly an exaggeration to suggest Ontario suffers from an infrastructure deficit. Yet the solution is not necessarily more money from the provincial and federal governments and it is definitely not higher taxes."

Williamson pointed to the province's SuperBuild fund as one example of where existing tax dollars have been made available for infrastructure needs and noted that the CTF's Municipal Roadway Trust proposal is another solution. The Municipal Roadway Trust is designed to help meet municipal infrastructure needs by directing 50 per cent of existing federal gasoline tax revenues toward roadways. "In addition, our municipalities need to make tough spending choices and prioritize their own operations. This Report Card will put local government under a microscope so taxpayers will have a better idea how tax dollars are being 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."

Under the province's own Municipal Performance Measurement Program, municipalities are required to collect specific spending data on core services, submit the information to the provincial government and report the results to their constituents. Yet the province does not release the information to the public and the reporting requirements do not ensure wide distribution. In fact, they appear designed to ensure the opposite, as there is no mechanism for citizens to easily compare the information. "The provincial government must assume its leadership role by making the data available. Until they do, the CTF will continue to collect and provide the information to taxpayers."