A New Toronto Homeowner Charge Dubbed as Rain Tax Will Roll out in April
As per the new circular on the Toronto government’s official website, The Toronto municipal government is planning to roll out a new type of tax aimed at homeowners in Toronto for storm-water clearance and management. Addressing storm-water management issues, Toronto’s municipal government is going to implement this in April as a new homeowner charge. Critics have dubbed the new homeowner charge as rain tax.
The proposed “storm-water charge” dubbed as rain tax has angered the residents of Toronto. It has had criticisms from many, including the son of the former U.S. president, Donald Trump Jr.
According to the circular published on the Toronto government’s official website, rain tax would hit the Homeowners of Toronto for their property’s impact on running water to the Canadian city’s storm sewer system. The charge will be decided on the amount of hard surface area owned by the homeowners for their properties, including roofs, concrete lawn areas, asphalt driveways, yard areas, parking lots, exterior decoration with concrete works, concrete landscaping, etc. The aim or attempt of the government through this declaration is to encourage Toronto’s people to keep plants on their properties and increase grassland areas rather than covering and paving their open lands with concrete works. Toronto’s city authorities confirmed the implementation of it.
Stormwater is a combination of rainwater and melted snow. According to Toronto’s city authorities, concrete ground or asphalt areas cannot absorb stormwater. Consequently, stormwater runs on hard surfaces, comes onto streets, flows down the storm drains, and finally goes slowly through the pipes that take this into local waterways and water bodies. If homeowners in Toronto keep open grasslands and bare lawn areas without concrete and nonconcrete open spaces around their properties, the water will be absorbed easily. Thus water clearance will be faster.
