The City of St. John’s is doing its best to bring what it sees as a major problem to the forefront. The capital city is complaining that it cannot collect any taxes from the province for its properties — such as Confederation Building, or provincially funded institutions like the Health Sciences Centre — but must provide municipal services. The province does provide operating grants to the city worth about $3 million, but Mayor Dennis O’Keefe says that the city pays $11.5 in provincial taxes, including the HST and payroll taxes. Without an increase in provincial government tax, O’Keefe said, property taxes paid by homeowners and businesses will have to rise sharply
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