I I would like to abolish our current system of property taxes and replace them with something called a Land Value Tax (Wikipedia link). I would suggest reading the linked article for a more detailed overview of what exactly I am proposing, but the short summary is that LVTs shift the tax burden to wealthy land hoarders and away from everyone else. They are also heralded by economists as "the perfect tax" due to their economic efficiency, their ability to encourage various types of private sector land improvements, and for reducing economic inequality.

I also want to make middle density, mixed use zoning the default throughout the city while actively working to achieve densification. In addition to making Lethbridge more affordable, more resilient against climate change, more interesting to live in, and strengthening our local communities, this change will also improve the average tax density in the city meaning each individual will need to pay less taxes on average. Low density sprawl is incredibly expensive to build and maintain and is a major contributor to high municipal taxes, so lowering taxes in a structurally sustainable way requires an end to sprawl.

Ultimately, my strategy for lowering taxes involves fixing the major structural problems, such as urban sprawl, which keep taxes high. This will likely require upfront investment in the short term to ultimately achieve sustainable long term tax reduction, but I plan to place that tax burden on the wealthy while giving the rest of us a tax break through smart changes in our tax system. I am firmly against short sighted under-investment and tax-axing as those strategies always lead to structural deficits which cost us more in the long run.

I believe that we are best off when we pay what it takes to make Lethbridge a great place to live.