The province will phase in an education tax break for seniors in 2014. They'll be exempt from the school portion of their property tax bill, but the move doesn't sit well with one senior, even though he benefits.
Lorne Weiss calls the new system unfair and unviable. "What do we do about other groups that don't have children in the system as well?” he said.
“What about individuals or families who own homes who don't have children, do we exempt them? What about families who have five children? Do we charge them more?"
The Manitoba Education Finance Coalition wants the province to fund education through general revenue, like health care and set mill rates, instead of school divisions.
The province stands to lose $50 million from the exemption, according to Weiss. Exempting seniors because they don't have children in the school system or they've paid enough over the years sets a precedent, he said.
