Property tax write-offs nearly double

TRURO, N.S. — The Municipality of Colchester is writing off more than $10,000 in delinquent property taxes for the last fiscal year.

County council committee this week approved in principle a staff recommendation to remove a total of $10,497.36 from the tax rolls for 2016-17. The total write-offs for the previous year were $5,952.97, a difference of $4,544.39.

The municipality currently maintains an uncollected taxes ratio of 7.5 per cent, which staff said in a report to council is “one of the lowest ratios in the province.”

The highest individual tax write-off was for $2,692.48 in tipping fees owed to the municipality by Truro Reliable Roofing.

The account had been turned over to Keltic Collections for recovery, however, the company reported that the business has closed and the owner could not be located. A number of the write-offs were in relation to mobile homes that have been demolished.