Zero per cent tax increases at centre of David Thomson’s Quinte West mayoral campaign

Quinte West mayoral candidate David Thomson is promising to keep municipal property tax rates from increasing for four years, and says he’ll resign if he can’t deliver.

Thomson moved to Quinte West 10 years ago in search of affordable housing in order to raise a family. He works in agriculture in the dairy industry, and would be a new addition to the local council.

Quinteist caught up with Thomson to learn more about his platform and why he’s deciding to run for mayor.

“We need a change… my personal view is that people that are closer and most invested in the production of our budget. The closer you get to it, the harder it is to say no,” Thomson told Quinteist

“I want to get into [the mayoral position] right now because taxes have increased 25.04 per cent over the last four years, and I want to change the culture at City Hall and to respect the taxpayer and just to allow a little bit more fiscal restraint.”

Thomson’s platform promises a zero per cent property tax rate increase on the municipal levy portion of the tax bill for the next four years.

“I am willing to use strong mayor powers after proposing this budget to veto any amendment that doesn’t have dollar for dollar. Meaning, if you want $1 of increase for new spending, you have to find $1 of savings,” he explained.

“So, if somebody wants to increase spending, I will veto any amendment that increases the spending and results in a tax increase.”

Council has the option of overriding a veto with a two-thirds majority vote (in this case, nine out of 13 votes).

“If the final budget number comes out and it results in a tax rate increase, my pledge is to resign as mayor because the mandate for zero per cent is officially over at that point,” Thomson stated.

“This is my assurance to taxpayers. My mandate to deliver zero per cent for each of the next four annual budgets is attached to my job security,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Thomson shared that he has spoken to many residents, including seniors, who have expressed that they can’t afford any more property tax increases.

“The general consensus is that the city has been taking in way too much [in] taxes and not necessarily delivering a proportionate amount of services for those taxes… so I’m providing an answer to that in promising this mechanism,” he explained.

“I understand that it’s unprecedented. I don’t know anybody that’s actually actively campaigning on using strong mayor powers in Ontario, and it’s kind of new. But you know, to keep taxes low, it could prove to be very popular.”

For more information on David Thomson and his platform, visit his official Facebook page.

For an ongoing list of mayoral and council candidates, visit Quinteist’s article here.