Dear Editor,
I write to draw attention to an anomaly which is happening at the Mayor and City Council Rates and Taxes department. It would seem to be impossible to pay Rates and Taxes there. I visited in March, May, September and most recently last week in a vain endeavor to pay Rates and Taxes on my property, payment which was denied by City Hall staff. I was told that due to a computer error in 2019, my payments could not be processed until the error was cleared. I was shown a scrappy exercise book with some names and numbers and a bunch of papers pushed in the back, which I was told was the file list they were working on. Each time I was told that there are a lot of properties in this situation and there is only one person available at City Hall to work on these and clear this alleged backlog.
Editor, something is not right here. How can you have citizens willing to pay Rates and Taxes, how can you have the city council complaining they are underfunded because Rates and Taxes are not being paid, how can you have a backlog dating from FOUR YEARS ago, how can this have gone on for so long, how can you only have one person looking after allegedly correcting this situation??? I have paid and have receipts up to 2022, so if City Hall is saying there was a problem back in 2019, where has my money gone? Mr. Mayor, something stinks in this Department. It is my right to pay my rates and taxes and one would think I would be welcomed so to do.
I wonder how many other people are in the same situation. Up to date Rates and Taxes form a part of every property portfolio along with water and electricity accounts, etc., and are an important part of proof of ownership. Denying the public the right to pay these taxes is nothing short of scampishness. Could the Mayor please look into this and allow me to pay the money I owe him?
Sincerely,
Peter Bouchard
