Agglomeration surtax of 19 million dollars for Beaconsfield, 122 million dollars for the 15 demerged cities - "The taxes levied for regional services are scandalous!" Mayor Georges Bourelle
BEACONSFIELD, QC, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - "The 2023 Agglomeration budget for regional services exclusively managed by the City of Montréal is scandalous and its injustice obvious. Montréal limits its contribution to 2.7% but imposes an increase of 11.9% on Beaconsfield! Montréal now surcharges us by 4 million dollars per year. This is completely unacceptable!"
Mayor Georges Bourelle is outraged by the offhandedness with which the Montréal administration is playing its game of reducing its contribution for a fourth consecutive year by increasing the shares for regional services of the related cities, such as Beaconsfield.
For the years 2020 to 2025, Beaconsfield is overcharged by 19 million dollars in favour of Montréal. The combined financial impact at the expense of the 15 cities related to Montréal and their 250 000 residents will reach 122 million dollars. Whereas inflation fluctuates around 7% in Canada this year, Montréal limits the increase of its contribution to 2.7% while inflicting an 11.9% increase on Beaconsfield taxpayers which is almost twice the inflation rate. The combined impact for all 15 cities is 8%.
"Montréal's devious merry-go-round started with the temporary consensus on Agglomeration finances reached in 2017 for a three-year duration. Since then, Montréal has been avoiding compliance with the original agreement of 2008," states Mayor Bourelle, who is also vice-president of the City of Montréal's Finance and Administration Commission for the Agglomeration.
The surtax penalty is very real for the citizens of the related cities. They are already paying 60% more than Montréal taxpayers for Agglomeration services although they are using them less, such as police and fire safety services, public transit, and water treatment.
For Beaconsfield, the injustice caused by the Montréal administration's manoeuvres comes with a price tag that has increased by 2 million dollars annually for the last three years. The new 2023 budget will increase the tax surcharge to more than 4 million dollars per year for the next three years. In 2025, the invoice for taxes overpaid by Beaconsfield to Montréal will amount to 19 million dollars.
Mayor Bourelle is still counting on the legal challenge launched by Beaconsfield in 2020, the first year of the wrongful overtaxation, to obtain justice for its citizens. The legal action against the City of Montréal has now reached more than 6 million dollars plus interest.
"We will amend the procedure once more to include the new 2-million-dollar surtax which will actually turn into a surcharge of over 4 million dollars for our citizens in 2023. Our legal action will therefore be adjusted to approximately 10 million dollars," declares Mayor Bourelle.
The City of Beaconsfield had taken this action in order to uphold the multilateral agreement signed in 2008 and ratified by the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal and the 15 demerged cities. The agreement ensures a fair sharing of regional services costs by the cities on the island of Montréal. "This is no longer the case. It is antidemocratic, unfair, and punishing for our citizens," concludes Mayor Bourelle.
SOURCE City of Beaconsfield
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