Admin

Toronto Real Estate Owners Asked To Shell Out Big Bucks By City

By
Real Estate Agent with Re/Max Ultimate Realty Inc. Brokerage

Asked is not entirely accurate. Gouged is more apt.

This week the City of Toronto council will introduce and approve it's new budget, one with a provision to hire 1300 more employees and hike property taxes 4%.

One of the positions they intend to create is a "Blackberry Specialist" to look after the burgeoning number of city employees who have Blackberry's. The salary proposed for this Specialist is $84,000 per year. I would suspect a generous benefit package is also attached to this figure.

There are approximately 2000 Blackberry devices amongst city councilors and employees. A Blackberry support specialist would handle problems users are having or will have with the handheld devices.

"There is no boss of all Blackberry's"  says Toronto City councilor, Shelley Carroll.

Like many realtors I have a Blackberry also. Mine came with a manual and telephone support from the manufacturer as well as telephone support from the service provider. I'm almost certain that those same support features would have been provided with the 2000 City of Toronto Blackberry's.

I would first of all question why the city needs so many Blackberry's?

Do they really need such a sophisticated device or did someone decide it would just be really "cool"?

Should Toronto Real Estate owners be expected to pay for something the city already has access to, and for free?

What do you think?

Show All Comments Sort:
Al & Peggy Cunningham, Brokers
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage - Brampton, ON
Our Family Wants To Help Your Family!

Hi John,

LOL, these people who can't run a blackberry are running our City!  Guess last laugh is on us, we voted them in!

Not sure how the 4% tax hike affected your market place, but we wonder what you are thinking today about McGuinty's 13% tax on our housing market!? Also it seems like the new tax will be called the HST so no GST rebates for our business people either we are assuming (I know that's a bad thing to do, assume).

Anyway in spite of it all, have a prosperous day!

Al and Peggy

http://www.TheHousePeople.com  

 

Mar 27, 2009 07:07 AM
Al & Peggy Cunningham, Brokers
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage - Brampton, ON
Our Family Wants To Help Your Family!

John - maybe new HSP tax won't hit as hard as we thought on the resale home side.  Sounds like it isn't on full price of house, just commission.  Still a heavy hit but near what we initially thought!

Al and Peggy

http:www.TheHousePeople.com 

Mar 27, 2009 07:45 AM
John Lavin
Re/Max Ultimate Realty Inc. Brokerage - Toronto, ON
Realtor - Mississauga - Toronto Real Estate

Hi Al & Peggy, thanks for your comments. In a previous post I have given examples of the increase on a slae of a $300,000 property. you can see it here:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/931203/First-Time-Home-Buyers-Beware-Pickpockets-at-Work

The increase are significant.

 

Mar 27, 2009 08:46 AM
Sylvie Conde
Sutton Group-Associates Realty Inc., Brokerage - Toronto, ON
Broker, Toronto Real Estate

It's not bad enough that we will now be dealing with 13% tax on the new housing market, our own property tax is going up by 4%...

What's next?

I wonder if we'll be asked to pay for the blackberries now...

 

May 09, 2009 01:58 PM
John Lavin
Re/Max Ultimate Realty Inc. Brokerage - Toronto, ON
Realtor - Mississauga - Toronto Real Estate

sylvie....I'm afraid we already do pay for the blackberrys'

May 11, 2009 12:06 AM