Mitzie Hunter exposes gaps in opponents’ budget proposals, saying they want to take Toronto on a “magical mystery tour”

Only Mitzie Hunter’s “Three & Six” tax plan is fair, transparent, and realistic

Toronto – Mitzie Hunter is exposing the budget gaps in the proposals of other mayoral candidates as an invitation to a “magical mystery tour” that people can’t afford, saying only her “Three & Six” tax plan is the fair, transparent and realistic plan needed to fund Toronto’s revival.

“There is no magical mystery tour,” says Hunter. “But it is a mystery how the other candidates have conjured their budget numbers and believing them is like believing in magic.”

“Toronto is in the here and now and has real problems that must be solved right now,” says Hunter.

“My “Three & Six” tax plan, which is fair, transparent and realistic, does that.”

Hunter “Three & Six” tax plan breaks down this way: a general six-per-cent property tax increase -- $216 per year for an average home – which will be reduced to three per cent -- a $108-per-year increase -- for households with income under $80,000.

In addition, Hunter’s plan provides additional protections for moderate- and lower-income seniors, which will allow more than half of all seniors to pay no property tax increase at all.

“My ‘Three and Six’ plan is fair and transparent,” says Hunter. “It’s also progressive, which means those that can afford it will pay a little more. Moderate- and lower-income homeowners will pay less.”

In contrast, all the other main candidates are inviting the people of Toronto on a “magical mystery tour” or simply won’t say how they are paying for hundreds of millions of dollars in promises or fill Toronto’s $4.3-billion fiscal hole.

“Taking a magical mystery tour will not fill the $4.3-billion fiscal hole that Toronto is facing,” Hunter says.

“People keep telling me they believe things are broken right now, and they know that Toronto needs a very different approach than what we have seen from city hall and its veterans.”

Hunter is exposing her opponent’s tax proposals fas an invitation to a “magical mystery tour”:

Magical: Mark Saunders and Brad Bradford will find billions of dollars in unspecific “efficiencies”. They want to cut their way to somewhere.

Mystery: Ana Bailao and Olivia Chow will get a “special deal” for Toronto to fill its fiscal hole from a federal government that is itself billions of dollars in debt. This special one-off deal does not exist. It has never happened before and will not happen now.

Magical: Ana Bailao says Doug Ford will upload the upkeep of city highways to pay for her promises. He has repeatedly said he will not.

Mystery: Olivia Chow says she doesn’t know what her tax increase will be because she can’t predict the future, even though the Bank of Canada regularly issues inflation forecasts that are reliable.

Magical: If Olivia Chow does not know how much she will raise taxes, she also doesn’t know what her budget will look like and what she will be able to do or not do.

Mystery: Josh Matlow believes it possible to convince council to cut the police budget and cancel the rebuild of the Gardiner Expressway, even though they have yet to agree to any of that, and likely never will.

“The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away,” says Hunter. “Magic and mystery are woven throughout the proposals of my opponents, but really they are just trying to take us all for a ride,” says Hunter. “In contrast, I am offering a tax plan that is fair, transparent and real.

“Magical mystery tour, or a my fully-costed and fully-funded ‘Three & Six’ plan. The choice is clear, and my ‘Three & Six’ plan is the real deal.”

In building her “Three and Six” tax plan, Hunter drew on her experiences as Associate Minister of Finance and 10 years in the Legislature, as well as CEO of CivicAction and CAO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

Since the beginning of the mayoral campaign, Hunter has systematically laid out her priorities culminating in this fully-costed, fully-funded, responsible and affordable plan.

“When people vote for me as their mayor, they know exactly what they are getting,” says Hunter. “My ‘Three & Six’ tax plan is fair, transparent, and real. I am the only candidate with a comprehensive, fully-costed and fully-funded plan, which spells out what I will be doing and how I will be paying for it. Let’s Fix the Six together. Join me.”

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Contact:

Charmain Emerson charmain@culturedcommunications.ca

Notes for remarks by Mitzie Hunter comparing tax proposals of other candidates with her fair and transparent taxation plan, June 15, 2023:

• Since the beginning of this campaign, I have systematically laid out my priorities.

• More affordable housing… more quickly. 

• Below-market price housing… for renters and buyers. 

• Investing more in city services… so the city works better. 

• More potholes filled… better snow clearance…

• Reversing TTC service cuts… rolling back TTC fare increases…

• And seniors and Wheels Trans users ride free… on the TTC.

• Today I am talking about taxes and the city’s budget.

• I am the only candidate who has released… my entire three-year plan. 

• No one else has done that. 

• You should ask yourself…

• Are they hiding something? 

• Or are they simply unprepared?

• Here’s my fair and transparent  Three and Six property tax plan… 

• My plan is for a six-per-cent general increase in residential property taxes. 

• Only slightly more than the five-point-five per cent increase for this year... approved by the current council.

• For the average household… my plan means $216 next year.

• But my plan has two important fairness pieces.

• For the 40 per cent of homeowner households that have an income of $80,000 or less… 

• My brand-new innovation is a rebate of 50 per cent of the general increase… 

• That reduces the increase to three per cent…

• That’s $108 next year.

• And below the expected inflation rate. 

• The second fairness piece builds on programs we already have for seniors… 

• Letting them defer a tax increase… or eliminate it completely… if they have an income up to $55,000.

• My plan increases this limit to $80,000.

• This means more than half of all senior homeowners…

• Will be able to have no out-of-pocket increase at all. 

• This… along with my plan to make the TTC free for seniors…

• Makes my plan for seniors the most comprehensive of any on offer. 

• It’s my “Three and Six” plan. With two underlying fairness pieces.

• Today… I am exposing the magic and the mystery underlying the budget proposals of the other candidates. 

• It’s like they are trying to take us all on a magical mystery tour.

• Mark Saunders and Brad Bradford will find billions of dollars in unspecific “efficiencies”.

• That’s asking us to believe in magic.

• The truth is… they just want to cut.

• Ana Bailao and Olivia Chow will get a “special deal” for Toronto to fill its fiscal hole from a federal government. 

• How will they do that? It’s a mystery… since the federal government is itself billions of dollars in debt. 

• A special one-off deal for Toronto does not exist. 

• Every other city in Canada would demand the same deal.

• Ana Bailao says Doug Ford will upload the upkeep of city highways to pay for her promises. 

• That’s magical thinking. 

• Doug Ford has repeatedly said he will not upload highways and will not pay for her promises. 

• Olivia Chow says she doesn’t know what her tax increase will be because she can’t predict the future. 

• How she can say that is a mystery, since the Bank of Canada regularly issues reliable inflation forecasts all the time.

• And if Olivia Chow does not know how much she will raise taxes…

• She also doesn’t know what she would be able to do. 

• It’s magic.

• Josh Matlow believes it possible to convince council to cut the police budget and cancel the rebuild of the Gardiner Expressway. 

• How would he get Council to reverse itself? 

• That’s a mystery.

• Mark.. Ana… and Brad…

• They say… “no tax increase above inflation.” 

• Sounds good... 

• The problem is… 12 years of inflation… or lower-than-inflation increases… has helped create the mess we are in.

• How does that solve anything?

• More magical thinking. 

• That’s what the other candidates are really offering. 

• Their magical mystery tour is waiting to take us away. 

• What they are really trying to do is to take us all for a ride.

• The truth is, there is no magical mystery tour. 

• But it is a mystery how the other candidates have conjured their budget numbers… 

• And believing them is like believing in magic.

• In contrast, I am offering a tax plan that is fair, transparent and real.

• The three ‘M’s” of my opponents… or my ‘Three and Six’ plan.

• The choice is clear… and my ‘Three & Six’ plan is the real deal. 

• When people vote for me as their mayor, they know exactly what they are getting. 

• I am the only candidate with a comprehensive, fully-costed… 

• And fully-funded plan… which spells out what I will be doing…

• And how I will be paying for it.

• Toronto is not a Magic Kingdom…

• And there are no magic beans to fill Toronto’s budget hole. 

• Toronto has real problems… 

• And my “Three and Six” tax plan is fair, transparent and real. 

• Toronto deserves better. 

• We need fairness and honesty.

• The city needs a plan… that can work. 

• That is not only costed…

• But also is funded. 

• Magical mystery tour… 

• Or a tax plan that is fair, transparent and real.

• The choice is clear, and my ‘Three and Six’ plan is… the real deal. 

• I want to lead Toronto’s revival. 

• I have the comprehensive… fully-costed… and funded plan… to do exactly that.

• Other candidates do not… Not even close.

• I want to Fix the Six. Join me.

 END