Re: One man’s gravy is another’s meat,July 29

Maybe Mayor Rob Ford has backed the citizens into a corner with his list of possible cuts. Maybe he figures that when everyone has let off steam about the things these cuts entail, they will be set up for the property tax increases that are long overdue. Take a quick look at the tax rates that exist in every municipality around the city and you will see that they average about 1 per cent of assessed value. In Toronto the tax rate is approximately .8 per cent of assessed value.

If Toronto were to bring its tax rate in line with the rest of the GTA, its budget shortfall would magically disappear, or at least be reduced to a more manageable level.

Maybe Ford has set the people up for a dose of reality, or maybe I am giving him credit for something he just stumbled into. Regardless, the solution to the problem is obvious.

Herbert Taylor, Markham

It became clear to me on Thursday night what the core service review is really all about. Giorgio Mammoliti at one point commented to a constituent presenting her views, “maybe some of us who live in one area don't want to pay services for those living in another.” That Mammoliti, one of Ford's right-hand men, does not view Toronto as one city, together helping all, then we are surely doomed. He does not appear to have a fundamental understanding of how urban planning works best, nor does he seem to care. Is this really a budget shortfall problem, or is it that some who have a lot do not believe in helping those who don't?

Patricia Robinson, Toronto