Education tax rebate cheques draw closer

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This article was published 19/05/2021 (1842 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A bill introduced by the Pallister government, enabling it to rebate 25 per cent of the value of education taxes to residential and farm property owners this year, has been altered to ensure when the rebate cheques are mailed out, they do not include a message from the premier or cabinet ministers.

The amendment brought forward by NDP finance critic Mark Wasyliw requires “the information or material must not include the name, image or title of a member of the executive council.”

It was agreed to unanimously, and the bill received third reading Tuesday.

Bill 71 (Education Property Tax Reduction Act) is part of a plan to phase out the education property tax, announced in the April 7 budget, which vowed to rebate 50 per cent of the current education tax to property owners over the next two years.

It also promised renters two years of rent freezes, beginning in 2022. However, landlords may still apply to the Residential Tenancies Branch for rent increases for material improvements.

NDP MLA Malaya Marcelino said in the house Tuesday the amendment is needed to prevent “vote buying.” She pointed to the $200 pandemic relief cheque sent to 225,000 Manitoba seniors in May 2020, accompanied by a letter from the premier.

“The reason why we in the Opposition think that this amendment is necessary is because, as it stands, Bill 71 is moving us away from current traditional standard practice for a civil servant to sign cheques issued to the public,” Marcelino said.

“This is the way it’s usually done to ensure that government payments are non-partisan.”

The amended bill is expected to receive royal assent before the summer recess.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding said earlier, if the legislation wasn’t enacted, the planned mail-out of rebate cheques worth $248 million to an estimated 658,000 property owners would be delayed. The average Winnipeg homeowner is expected to receive a rebate of $481 this year.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca