Outrageous property tax bill discourages couples move to N.B.

Will and Bonnie Kriski of Calgary had their sights set on moving back to New Brunswick within the next few years. The couple had even bought a house in the Sackville area a year-and-a-half ago as their first step towards returning to Bonnie's home province.
But those plans all went out the window when their property tax bill arrived in the mail last week. What they saw astounded them.
"It was quite upsetting," said Will from his Calgary residence on Monday.
The $9,300 tax bill was enough to get the Kriskis rethinking their dream to move to the area.
"It's pretty sad, we really like Sackville," he said.
Will said he wasn't aware of the non-owner occupied portion of the tax bill in New Brunswick. This means that if you own a home in the province but don't reside there, you pay double taxes for that property.
"The fact there's a provincial component kind of shocked me."
But even without that rate factored in, his bill would still calculate out to be more than $4,600 when he moves here, a huge price to pay for a home that is outside of town with no water and sewer services, he said.
"Out here, you pay your taxes based on the services you have," said Will.
Although he admits that his new home in the Sackville area is valued at approximately $300,000, his house in Calgary is assessed at twice that price and he pays only $2,500 in property taxes each year.
"I just don't get why they're so high. It seems like it's just a tax grab," he said.
The "outrageous" tax bill sent the couple quickly rushing to their computer to e-mail their realtor in an effort to put their house back on the market.
The Kriskis had really been pinning their hopes on making the shift to small-town living as they started to tire of the fast-paced, big city life.
But Will said that he's now unsure of whether he and wife Bonnie (nee Swift), who is originally from Dorchester and moved to Calgary when she was 18, will return to the area.
Will said he has considered renting out the home until they move back here but he would need to bring in at least $800 a month just to pay his tax bill.
"So what do we do now . . . this has really shaken up our future plans," he said.
Tantramar MLA Mike Olscamp said it's a shame that rising property tax assessments in New Brunswick could be discouraging people from moving to the province.
"I see how it could certainly could serve as a deterrent for some people," Olscamp admitted.
The Tory MLA said that the Liberal government has had more than two years to change the assessment process to make it a more equitable system but have yet to do so.
"There has to be a revolution in taxation in this province," he said. "People are being overtaxed and they need a break."