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TAXATION OF HORSE ESTABLISHMENTS

Letter Writing Campaign

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This affects all riders, horse owners, students, as well as the barn owners and all related horse industries and friends of horses! Please pass on to all stables and horse friends. For more information, contact Association of Riding Establishments or Leslie Brooks & Jim Waechter at 519-696-3688 (Chairs of the Committee to address this important issue). If your farm has been assessed as ‘commercial’, we need to hear from you. Please call – we can probably help you.

We need everyone to get involved or the equine industry will be in deep financial trouble. Many barns have already gone out of business and others are considering their options - close or change their businesses. The sport may become a sport for the very rich unless something is changed.

This is a letter writing campaign to help address the severe financial hardship the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation is placing on Ontario's riding establishments through inequitable and inappropriate taxation. In the absence of clear policy direction or due regard for the largely agricultural nature of the land use, MPAC is arbitrarily assessing riding establishments in their entirety as commercial rather than agricultural. MPAC is an independent Corporation that takes direction from the Minister of Finance. If you read the following letters you will have a very good idea of the issues.

Anyone 18 years of age or older can sign the letters. Feel free to ask all boarders, students, parents of students, grandparents, people with or without a pulse, etc. to sign the letters. If you have a job, have the people you work with sign also. People who have no direct contact with horse barns can still voice their concerns.

If any of the signers would like to add their own personal comments regarding the affect MPAC's equine decision will have on their household, they are encouraged to do so by writing on the back of the letter (put 'see comments on back' on the front of the letter), or they can staple a copy of their comments to the form letters. You could also write a letter to your MPP.

It is the responsibility of each barn or person to:

1. Make sufficient copies of each of the six letters. This is the best approach. They are identified by Ministers Names and small letters in upper right corner - 'a' through 'f'.
2. IF you can only send 1 letter - send the first letter.... 'a' - the Minister of Finance letter.
3. Have each of the 6 letters signed, and dated with addresses individually.
   Don't forget to sign letters for yourself.
4. Collect the signed letters and sort into each of the 6 ministries. 'a' through 'f'.
5. Forward signed letters to each of the provincial ministries. The letters don't have to be sent individually but they will have to be sent to each of the individual ministers.
6. Envelopes... One envelope for each Minister (or each letter). An 'a' envelope, a 'b' envelope, a 'c' envelope,... and an 'f' envelope'. Therefore, there will be a minimum of 6 envelopes. We checked with Canada Post, postage will have to be paid.

These letters can be found on the OEF website www.horse.on.ca under 'Commercial Taxation of Riding Establishments Letter Writing Campaign'.

Thanks from all horse people and their horses!!