Our Union Weekly News

Friday, December 21

Special tax rate adopted in Brownsburg-Chatham

Following the example set last year by the municipalities of Mirabel and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Brownsburg-Chatham has recently approved a special tax rate for agriculture. The measure drastically reduces the tax burden being shifted onto producers, at a time when property taxes for the new roll are rising by 50% for the agricultural sector and 6% for the residential sector. The adoption of the special rate comes as the municipality seeks to increase tax revenues to improve its financial situation. Without the special rate in place, farmers would have been faced with a 57% increase in their tax bill, a jump of $3,870 on average. Under the new rate, farmers instead have a 27% increase on their hands, which works out to an extra cost of $1,800 per farm. For the residential sector, the increase is limited to just under 11%, or about $200 for the average residence.

Our region not excluded from financial assistance for hail

Outaouais-Laurentides farmers could receive a helping hand from the Canada-Québec Support Initiative for Farm Enterprises Affected by Exceptional Hail Episodes in 2017. While the Financière agricole identified only certain regions at first (Saguenay, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Chaudière-Appalaches, Montérégie), the assistance may now be available to farm businesses in our region provided certain conditions are met. Businesses may qualify for assistance whether or not they are registered under an insurance and income protection program administered by the Financière. The assistance can also be received on top of protection already offered through crop insurance. The general rules determining eligibility are available here Ce lien s'ouvrira dans une nouvelle fenêtre (English version). Farmers who believe they are eligible are invited to contact their Financière agricole service centre or to call 1-800-749-3646.