With tax rates increasing for the town of Antigonish, Antigonish Mayor Sean Cameron said he recevied a number of reactions from residents.
Earlier this montrh, following council’s approval, the residential tax rate for the town went up by 17 cents to $1.30 per $100 of assessment and the commercial rate went up by 25 cents to $2.90 per $100 of assessment. Cameron said some people are upset and others are wondering how they will be able to pay the tax bill.
Cameron noted it is a 15 per cent increase in the rate, but stressed it wasn’t a decision council made lightly. He said council was in a position where they had to raise money in order to access cost sharing with the federal and provincial governments for things infrastructure upgrades. Without that outside funding, he noted, town would have to foot 100 per cent of critical infrastructure work.