Winnipeg condo owners lobby for tax break

A lobby group for Winnipeg condominium owners is demanding a break on property taxes.

Paul Hesse of the Property Tax Committee of the Canadian Condominium Institute says condominiums in multi-unit buildings use fewer services, but owners pay property taxes on par with owners of detached homes.

His argument is that condominiums are more efficient to service than a single dwelling.

"Let's talk about the garbage," he said. "If you have 50 detached houses you have to make 50 pickups. If you have a condominium building, the city does only one pickup."

Hesse said the high taxes on condos contribute to urban sprawl.

"A lot that's got high density on it pays more than a lot that has low density on it," he said. "So, in essence, the property tax system encourages low density. It encourages sprawl."

Hesse plans to meet with Manitoba's minister of local government, Ron Lemieux, to lobby for changing the tax rate.