Brownsburg-Chatham residents asked to pay taxes ‘under protest’

Residents of Brownsburg-Chatham are being asked by a citizens' committee to accept this year's 21-per-cent municipal tax hike and pay their bills, but not without a protest.

The Citizens Action Committee of Brownsburg-Chatham (CACBC) - formed in November as a watchdog-type group with a mandate to encourage community projects and to petition the current municipal council for change - sent out a letter to residents and community groups last month asking them to pay their taxes "under protest."

"To pay our municipal taxes is to send the message that we accept the increase of more than 20 per cent," the letter reads. "Let's pay them under protest, thus expressing our disagreement while retaining our rights to contest as well as avoiding penalties."

The CACBC said on its website that as of last week, 51 residents had confirmed their payments under protest.

According to the committee, by writing the words "under protest" on the cheque, a resident retains his or her right to sue or challenge the collector in court. The CACBC compares the situation to that of a homeowner who wishes to contest work done by a contractor, but is forced to pay him immediately to avoid additional penalties.

"We want to people to know the citizens of Brownsburg-Chatham are dissatisfied with this tax increase," said CACBC spokesperson Jean-Sebastien Patrice. "Right now, we're doing two things. First things first, we want to make sure that if the case can some day be heard in court, we will retain our right to sue; but as a citizen, we have to pay the taxes. So we don't want people not paying taxes, but we want people to let the city know that 21-per-cent is a disgrace and it's going to kill Brownsburg-Chatham."

Patrice explained the issue is not only a matter of paying additional tax dollars, noting it must be considered in the context of the present economic situation: "Of course some people are going to have problems (paying the increase), but it's not only that. With the economic difficulties, and the industries on the (municipal) land, is this increase going to force them to leave?

"It's an unstable moment. Why should a young family come to Brownsburg-Chatham right now? The mayor says the land is better here, and it's true - we have beautiful land and beautiful air - but you have to pay a lot for it."

He said the municipality's response, that 12 per cent of the tax increase is destined to pay off its current $1.9-million deficit, was unacceptable as the deficit is related to the unpaid taxes from the now-expropriated lands in Brownsburg-Chatham.

The municipality recently acquired the lands from the Société de développement économique de Brownsburg-Chatham (SDEBC) and plans on selling the properties itself.

"If this 12-per-cent share is related to the deficit, then if [the municipality] sells [the properties], will they give [part of the tax increase] back to the citizens?" Patrice questioned, adding that otherwise, citizens would be paying twice for these unpaid taxes.

"For years, landowners do not pay their taxes so the other taxpayers have to pay a bigger share to compensate," the CACBC website notes. "Are we to understand that they are paying twice?"

The letter explains that residents can protest by writing "under protest" in the memo field of their cheques or, if the bill is sent directly to a financial institution or bank, by submitting a letter to the municipality and keeping a proof or submission for legal purposes.

The letter is available on the CACBC's website, at cacbc.wordpress.com.

For more information or to inquire about the campaign, contact cacbc@live.ca or 450-495-8327.