Legislative Report

Government Short Changes School Divisions

Earlier this year, Premier Lorne Calvert descended on the community of Birch Hills to announce that his government would pick up more of the cost of education. As a result, the Premier said rural property tax payers would finally see some relief from the burden of the highest education property taxes in the nation. How hollow those words now ring today.

The NDP government’s latest budget has shortchanged school divisions across this province. This Monday, school divisions finalized their budgets. The resounding message is that because of the NDP’s failure to fund the increasing costs of education, the majority of school divisions across Saskatchewan have to make up the shortfall somewhere. And that somewhere is straight out of your pocket. So much for property tax relief. Just last month, NDP Finance Minister Andrew Thomson told the Saskatchewan Legislature that “there is no reason that residents in…the former Sunrise School Division, including the city of Weyburn, should see any increase in their education property tax...”

It turns out, that wasn’t true. In the new South East Cornerstone School Division, education property taxes are going up between five and thirty per cent.

In the Chinook School Division, which includes Swift Current and Maple Creek, education property taxes will increase between two and 38 per cent for most residents.

Education property taxes in the Sun West School Division, which includes Biggar and Kindersley are going up between 4 and 18 per cent. In the Prairie South School Division, education property taxes are going up between 7 and 15 per cent for most residents. In the good Spirit School Division which includes Yorkton and Melville, education property taxes will go up by seven per cent on average.

It’s funny – Andrew Thomson didn’t bother to mention this hidden tax hike in his recent half-a-million dollar television ad campaign. Recently, a reporter asked Andrew Thomson why he had to appear in the NDP’s budget commercials. He said it was because “it’s my budget”.

Mr. Thomson, like the NDP, has forgotten something very important. It’s not his budget. It’s not even his money. That money belongs to you, the people of Saskatchewan.

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