Gatineau mayor wants new parking lot tax trimmed
Maude Marquis-Bissonnette pitching 40 per cent reduction
The mayor of Gatineau, Que., is proposing to reduce the city's brand new tax on parking lot operators.
Maude Marquis-Bissonnette made the announcement Monday on Facebook. If approved by city council, her plan would see the controversial tax lowered by nearly 40 per cent.
Doing so would also cut into the revenues generated by the tax, however: down to $17 million from an original estimate of $27 million.
The tax was only announced earlier this month but has already raised a lot of concerns and questions, according to Marquis-Bissonnette. It affects owners of parking lots with 22 or more spaces.
Marquis-Bissonnette's French-language post concluded with some context about the city's efforts.
"It is important to remember that the idea of this measure is not new and has undergone rigorous analysis and study," she wrote. "Gatineau is not the first city to use it: Montreal, Laval, Quebec, Longueuil, Boucherville and others did it before us and businesses still do business there.
"Cities' responsibilities have never been greater and as local governments, we are constantly on the front lines. These new responsibilities come with a bill."
with files from Radio-Canada