Whitby Finance Commissioner recommending 3.5 per cent tax increase for already “dissatisfied” residents

Whitby town council will hear a staff report tonight recommending a 3.5 percent property tax increase, despite a recent survey showing more than half of residents are dissatisfied with the amount already.

The report, submitted by Fuwing Wong, Whitby’s Commissioner of Financial Services, recommends the increase to offset council priorities, input from residents, as well as operational and inflationary pressures.

The input from residents comes from a ConnectWhitby survey asking from feedback on the 2022 budget. The survey found out its nearly 2000 respondents, 45 per cent were satisfied with the town’s taxation and services, marking a five percent increase over last year. High property taxes were a substantial complaint in the findings.

In a recent study, Zoocasa found Whitby property taxes to be the second highest in Durham, behind only Oshawa. The town ranked 19th out of 35 surveyed cities in the highest-to-lowest list.

The 2022 budget also cuts $1.2 million of spending in the next fiscal year.

These plans will be heard at the October 18 town council meeting held at 7:30 p.m. Any Whitby residents can view the meeting through the town’s streaming service.

The final budget will be approved in February 2022.