Legislative Assembly

M. Alban Farmer: You didn’t do better. You gave less by a couple of thous— and dollars. Note in the fall of 1965, the Mayor and City Council approached the Shaw Government and they asked then if they would initiate a plan whereby the Government would pay taxes on the properties owned by the Provincial Govern- ment and that plan was taken under consideration. It was too late to put it in the budget of that year but the tax, or the allowance, was increased from $10 per head to $12 per head that year in lieu of this arrangement that they requested. But the survey was initiated in the Dept. of the Provincial Treasurer whereby, in order to implement the proposal of the Mayor and City Council, the study was started to make that plan whereby a system of taxes, or grants in lieu of taxes based on a reasonable taxation basis in order that the City Council could look toward the Government to pay for services rendered to the properties which they owned in the City of Charlottetown. That was initiated. Nothing has been done and they have had almost two years and they haven’t done anything on that point. They now have, apparently, refused to recognize the right of the City of Charlottetown to taxes on the properties owned by the Provincial Government. I think it’s the only Province, in Canada as far as I can recall from the study which we had made, that does nut pay tax on Provincial Government property or a grant in lieu based on a reasona‘le taxation basis.

Hon. M Lorne Bonnell: Quebec. Quebec doesn’t.

J. David Stewart: You don’t know what your talking about, Lorne. Keep quiet.

M. Alban Farmer: Well, is that any reason why you shouldn’t? Is that a good reason why you shouldn’t, because Quebec doesn’t? Answer me that?

Hon. M. Lorne Bonnell: N0

M. Alban Farmer: No, it’s not. All right then, you have no reason. So the fact that Quebew may or may not, I don’t know whether Quebec does, I can’t re- call, but . . . .

Hon. M. home Bonnell: Why didn’t you do it? You were the Provincial Treasurer for seven years . . . .

M. Alban Farmer: As I say, we initiated this survey and this study whereby a tax would be paid and you can find that in your office if you go and look.

Hon. J. Elmer Blanchard: You mean you were going to pay it if you got back in power.

M. Alban Farmer: No, that isn’t the point at all. We realized that the Government should pay on their property. That’s what we did.

Unknown Voice; What were you going to do about it?

M. Alban Farmer: We started the study, when they brought the brief to us, we started a study and that study was, I don’t know whether you read it or not but you . . . .

Hon. .1. Elmer Blanchard: What you are arguing is that you paid money for a study. That’s a: far as you went.

M. Alban Farmer. We didn’t pay any money for a study. We got the treas- ury people to do the study.

Walter R. Shaw: We didn't get anyone from Toronto. Hon. J. Elmer Blanchard: What were you going to do then?

M. Alban Farmer: We were going to pay on the basis of the taxes. I can say that now because we initiated the study and we told them that we would do it.

Hon. J. Elmer Blanchard: Can you verify it, Sir?

M. Alban Farmer: Yes, sure I can.

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