Richmond County added its voice to those opposing the provincial Non-Resident Property Tax
and Non-Resident Deed Transfer Tax.
Councillors voted to send a letter, written by Warden Amanda Mombourquette, to Premier Tim Houston – with a copy to Minister of Finance Allan MacMaster, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Lohr, Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau, and Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities President Amanda MacDougall – about their concerns with the new taxes introduced in Budget 2022-2023.
After last night’s regular monthly meeting, Mombourquette called this a “hot button issue” that has generated a lot of opposition, and she’s hopeful municipalities can work with the province to find a happy medium.
Noting that property taxes are their main revenue stream, Mombourquette said this comes at a time when municipalities are “cash strapped.”
The warden added this will hit local realtors, those who own ancestral properties that have been in families for generations, as well as new property owners looking to construct housing, who are now faced with an “immense tax burden.”