Ottawa Rapid Transit Network developments

[Chris-R]

Originally Posted by RTWAP

Maybe we can pay for LRT by making the NCC pay full property taxes for the development potential of all the land they have.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/06/19/city-internal-document-on-payments-in-lieu/



TL;DR - The Feds have to pay in lieu based on the value of the land, not the current use to which they are putting it.

Taken to an extreme, they could have to pay for the privilege of providing us with parkland.

We'd had to amend the Constitution in order to levy taxes on the Federal Government. As we saw in the article, the courts may choose to either highlight the discrepancy or order payments based on a fair assessment of the land in question. It's likely that it would have to be somewhat egregious for it to be worth it though.