Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is calling for new revenue streams for cities as she believes reliance on property taxes is unsustainable.
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“There have been several reports on local taxation that have hit the shelves. However, everyone agrees that property tax dependency, like municipalities, is an archaic model that is completely outdated,” Ms. Plante supported on Friday during the election summit of the Association of Municipalities (UMQ).
Last June, the City of Montreal announced the implementation of a tax project aimed at finding solutions that would allow it to diversify its revenue streams. Currently, 63% of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes.
“We have to get out of that mentality so that we don’t even have the funds for our ambitions anymore; these are responsibilities that we take on,” said Ms. Plante. According to her, the city would take on many bills for files falling under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, which she also recalled last August.
On Tuesday, Ms Plante, along with other Quebec mayors, asked the government to give municipalities a $10 billion fund over five years to help them adapt their infrastructure to climate change. The mayors then said they wanted a “partnership” with the next government.
“The municipalities, we are part of the solution. When we speak of partnership, it is because we are also tired of begging. We have many solutions, but we still have to be seen for who we are,” Mayor Plante added.
International students: Montreal vs. the regions
Valérie Plante also reiterated her opposition to the government’s idea of reducing tuition fees for foreign students going to regional universities. The mayor had already spoken out against the measure during an event of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal last August.
“You mustn’t undress Jean to put Jacques on,” she exclaimed about it. “The idea of promoting the settlement of students in the regions at the expense of Montreal with financial incentives contradicts the support of the only French-speaking metropolis in North America in my opinion.”
The measure, announced last May by the Legault government, will take effect in fall 2023 and will allow foreign students studying outside of the greater Montreal area to pay the same tuition as Quebec students.
“When it comes to franking, when we want our metropolis to remain francophone, strong and proud […]we must ensure that Montreal’s French-speaking universities are not disadvantaged,” argued Ms. Plante.