In submitting the report the Committee placed on record its apr elation of the services rendered by Mr. J. C. Greig. of the Secretariat, who acted as its secretary, to Mr. G. Godfrey Phillips. "Secretary and Commissioner General of the Council for advice freely given at all times fand for the invaluable assistance rendered by Messrs. R. Middleton and A. 'T, Gray of the Revenue Ofice. Mr. 8. Little was also thanked as well ay others for putting forward facts, figures and suggestions for the consideration of the Committee, The report bears the signatures of the following members of the Committee: Mr. C. 8, Franklin, Chairman; Mossrx, J. R. Jones, N. F. Moyers, 0, Okamoto and J. LIH. Sun, and followed by: a minority report of Mr. J.B. Etherington to the report of the special committee to investigate Inequalities of taxation. While agreeing with the main recommendations of the Committee in prineiple, Me. Etherington was not in accord with the form of the interim measures recommended, pending the vesassessment by experts of all pro perties subject to the Municipal rate.
followed by. reasons adduced by Me, Etherington in favour of his submission and. the statement:
"The budget requirements will necessitate 2 considerably higher scale of assessment all round, "and there seems to be a little point, in taking measures at this juncture which fall 30 far short of realities' A. counter-suggestion is then offered and the, report concludes: "A temporary arrangement on this. basis Would -have been more equitable 10 the Council, and all other sections of the community, and at the same time would have gone much further towards the ultimate aim of the commilteo, with which T agree, recommending the Council to base the Municipal rate on the re-assessment by experts of all properties irrespec+ tive of the actual rentals paid."
Council Communique on Report communique issued by the Coun-cell regarding the report follows:
"The Council on Friday, April 4, adopted Zor submission to the rate avers, the Majority Report of the Special, Committee to" Investigate. Inequalities of Taxation. Te was, however, decided to leave it to the Sncoming Council to give consideration to the implementation of Recom= mendations Nos. 2 and 3.
The Report "Obviously both the theoretical and the practical remedy for all of Such inequalities is for the Council to revamp its entire system of determining the values upon which municipal rate is payable, This} Committee is of the opinion that as Soon as possible the Council should diceard actual rental paid 43 the only yardstick for determining the value upon which: municipal rate is based and should have the fair rental value of all property" uniformly, assessed by expert assessors or valuers and base Municipal rate on their assessment, This would remove entirely the ex: isting inequality in taxation between Protected and unprotected tenants as the municipal rate payable with respect ta any particular property would be based ripon the assessed value of that property rather than upon the rental paid by the tenant thereof, The existing inequality between tenant-occupiers and owner-0e-cubiers would also be removed as; the municipal rate payable with respect to any particular property would be based upon the assessment thereof regardless of whether such property was occupied by the owner or by a tenant As the re-assessment of all property in the Settlement by expert assessors would be a long and tedious Job requiring well over a year to complete, this Committee recommends that the Council take immediate steps to put the necessary machinery in motion to have such an assessment mode and that upon the completion of such assessment of all property municipal rate in the Settlement and in the Outside Roads Area be based upon such assessment, Tt is also recommended that the valuation lists be made available for inspection by ratepayers. This Committee further recommends that all compounding of taxes be Immediately abolished.
As It is felt that ponding the sessment of all property subject 10 municipal rate something should be done to lessen the inequalities found exist, this Con.mittee has endea-youred "to find formula which would be a step toward the goal of taxation on assessed values and which would lessen the existing inequalities. Such a formula has been Out based upon the value of prow perly upon which municipal rate was ald or should have been paid on June 20, 1937. 'This date was chosen as the end of the last taxable period during which there was an' open market for rented properties. It is recognized that since that date certain types of properties in certain districts have increased in value in relation to other types of properties or similar types of properties in other districts.
With respect to buildings erected, remodelled or added to since June 30, 1997, it will of course be necessary for such properties to be assessed as of that date and the as-
[sessment then adjusted in accordance with the above. schedule, Owner-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.