Winnipeg, MB - Mayor Sam Katz called for the Province of Manitoba to work with Manitoba mayors, reeves and councillors to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the municipal infrastructure crisis.
“Public infrastructure is fundamental to our prosperity and our quality of life,” said Mayor Katz this evening in remarks to the Legislative Standing Committee holding PST hearings. “A stable, ongoing source of funding would allow municipalities to set priorities, plan ahead, and reduce costs by acting strategically. If you, as legislators, don’t take steps to solve Manitoba’s infrastructure crisis - not on a piecemeal basis, but in a comprehensive, strategic fashion - then it’s all Manitobans who will pay the price.”
Mayor Katz urged legislators to ensure transparency when accounting to Manitobans for the millions of dollars in spending resulting from the one per cent PST increase.
Finally, he recommended the Province of Manitoba exempt municipalities from paying PST. The increase in PST will cost the City of Winnipeg an additional $1.4 million each year. Municipalities pay approximately $17 million in PST annually to the Province of Manitoba. The City of Winnipeg, along with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, has been calling for a rebate of this tax since May 2011.