Source: This Newfoundland Community Pays No Property Tax, Governs Itself – NTD CANADA
It’s also something that could be an example to other communities across the country, said Devin Drover, who is a Newfoundland resident as well as Atlantic director and general counsel for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“Some of these towns really think that if they have to have a municipal property tax, and they need to offer programs and services, other people in unincorporated municipalities should have the same responsibility,” Drover told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.
He doesn’t consider that attitude fair.
“The [unincorporated] model empowers individuals to have more control over their finances, rather than paying a blank cheque to a mayor, or a mayor’s office, to decide how their money should be spent,” he said.
He said the Port de Grave community still manages to offer programming for the area.
“They pull off a great tree lighting every year. I always encourage people locally to attend.”
They also manage to do it without a “central government controlling those decisions,” he said. “The local residents can do it themselves without having to have expensive elections, having to divide the community, and having to basically have one person or a council making those decisions.”
Residents are also empowered to work together on projects they find interesting.
“When people have the ability to choose what to fund, it really shows what is most important to people.
