The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) wants the Saskatoon city council to reduce spending and prevent a proposed tax hikes. .The CTF is urging the council to take action during the upcoming special budget meeting on Tuesday, July 25..“Saskatoon taxpayers can’t afford a double-digit tax hike,” said Gage Haubrich, Prairie director of CTF. .“Families are dealing with rising mortgage payments and sky-high grocery prices and the last thing they need are city councillors trying to grab more money from their pockets.”.According to the city's projections, there is an expected deficit of $51 million in 2024 and $22 million in 2025. .If city councillors do not find ways to save money, this will lead to a 17% increase in property taxes in 2024 and a 6% increase in 2025..In Saskatoon, the average price of a home is around $381,000. .If the city goes ahead with the suggested property tax increases, homeowners would have to pay, on average, an extra $630 annually in property taxes by 2025..“Mayor Charlie Clark and the rest of city council need to go through every single line of this budget to save taxpayers from a massive tax hike,” said Haubrich. .“Instead of fishing or perfecting their golf swing this summer, councillors need to sit down and find some savings.”.In 2022, government officials warned city council they needed to take action to address the problem of running deficits in the budget each year. .They also informed councillors that the $10 million funding received due to the pandemic, which came from the federal and provincial governments, would stop in 2024. This funding alone makes up around 20% of the expected deficit for the following year..To create a light display in a back alley, the city spent $100,000. The only purpose of the display is to improve the view of the dumpsters behind a bar..Additionally, the city spent $67 million to purchase land for a new arena. However, the construction of the arena has yet to be approved..“If the city can spend six figures stringing up some lights in a back alley, behind a bar, right next to a dumpster, then surely there’s still a bunch of fat on the budget,” said Haubrich. .“Clark needs to roll up his sleeves and find some savings because taxpayers can’t afford massive tax hikes.”
