We are asking the Councillors of The City of Burlington, Ontario, to reverse their recent decision about the Burlington Humane Society's property tax status.
This petition is an effort of people who care about the future of the BHS. The Burlington Humane Society, founded in 1974, should have a permanent property tax exempt status. This is NOT a residential property! It is a charitable organization working to save lives.
Religious institutions are exempt from property taxes, and many of them are extremely wealthy (just have a peak at the Vatican). An animal shelter, which literally saves lives and exists solely on donations, deserves at least as much as a religious institution. BHS is a charitable & educational organization with a "no-kill" policy run by a small staff and 400 active volunteers, with no municipal funding -- it cares for almost 1,000 animals each year.
The humane society purchased what was then a vacant lot at 740 Griffith Court in 2002, paying taxes from 2002-2008 based on vacant industrial land assessment. The new building was completed on site in 2008.
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation reassessed the property in 2009 as being exempt from taxes, meaning the Humane Society was not taxed from 2010 to 2012.
City staff questioned the exemption in 2009-2010 when the reassessment came in, according to Joan Ford, the city's director of finance.
It took the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation approximately two years to review the property. The conclusion was that it should have been assessed as a residential property, where the owner occupies the building. To add insult to serious injury, they also levied a $45,000 retroactive tax bill in early October.
The Burlington Humane Society cannot afford to pay property taxes! The city-run pound is exempt from property taxes & presumably receives City funding. It is not a "no-kill" shelter. The BHS deserves as much.
The BHS website is here: http://burlingtonhumane.ca/
Dear Councillors:
Please reverse your recent decision about the Burlington Humane Society's property tax status.
This petition is an effort of people who care about the future of the BHS. The Burlington Humane Society, founded in 1974, should have a permanent property tax exempt status and the $45,000 retroactive levy should be cancelled. This is NOT a residential property! It is a charitable organization working to save lives.
The Burlington Humane Society cannot afford to pay property taxes! The city-run pound is exempt from property taxes and presumably receives City funding. The BHS receives no City funding. It is a charitable & educational organization with a "no-kill" policy run by a small staff and 400 active volunteers -- it cares for almost 1,000 animals each year.
