‘A rain tax. Seriously, they want to tax the rain’: Critics blast proposed charge for Toronto homeowners

Critics are blasting a “rain tax” Toronto is proposing to charge homeowners, Newsweek reported.

What are the details?

City officials are proposing to hit homeowners with a “stormwater charge” according to how much their properties’ water runoff would impact the storm sewer system, the magazine said, adding that it’s an attempt to encourage citizens to keep grass and plants on their properties rather than paving outdoor square footage.

Newsweek, citing Toronto city authorities, said the charge would be based on each property’s hard surface area, including roofs, driveways, parking lots, and other concrete landscaping.

“Stormwater is rain and melted snow. When not absorbed into the ground, stormwater runs off hard surfaces onto streets, down storm drains, and through a network of pipes that carry it into local waterways,” Toronto’s city website says, according to Newsweek. “In urbanized areas like Toronto, there are a lot of hard surfaces. […] Too much stormwater can overwhelm the city’s sewer system, which can lead to flooded basements and impacts to surface water quality in Toronto’s rivers, streams, and Lake Ontario’s waterfront.”

The proposal is eliciting annoyed reactions — such as from Donald Trump Jr.:

Newsweek noted that Warren Kinsella, founder of political campaign strategy firm Daisy Consulting Group, penned an op-ed for the Toronto Sun. Kinsella opened his piece with a nine-word assault: “A rain tax. Seriously, they want to tax the rain.”

Canadian Parliament member Kevin Vuong echoed Kinsella’s words in an equally critical social media post:

Toronto is consulting the public about the proposed charge until April 30, the magazine said, adding that a report on the outcome of the public consultation is scheduled to be released this summer.

If that ain’t enough …

Earlier this month, Toronto police endured serious backlash after telling residents to leave their car keys at the front doors of their homes for thieves to take in order to lessen the risk of residents being physically attacked for car keys in their homes.

“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at the front door because they are breaking into your home to steal your car; they don’t want anything else,” a police official said. “A lot of them that they’re arresting have guns on them, and they are not toy guns. They are real guns. They’re loaded.”

(H/T: Not the Bee)