Re: Dollars & Sense by Peter Watson, Oakville Beaver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015

What Mr. Watson does not understand is that when we, baby boomers, bought our ranch bungalow in Bronte in 1987 for $185,000 it was already more than 30 years old and in need of major updates.

We added an addition and renovated. At this time, our property tax doubled.

In the 28 years that we have owned our home, we have paid roughly $120, 000 in property taxes.

Yes, our home is now worth close to $1 million, but don’t forget, we live in Oakville, which happens to be one of the most expensive places to live in Canada.

Maybe if our children’s generation, my kids are aged 22 and 19, worked as hard as my husband and I did, sacrificed on some luxuries like my husband and I did, and maybe if the Town of Oakville provided some more affordable housing instead of building million-dollar homes, my kids and their generation too can afford to buy their own homes and profit just as much as their parents’ generation did.

So, to answer your question: No, I don’t agree that we should be taxed on the profits of our principal residence.

I feel that we have already paid our fair share of taxes. Why don’t we increase taxes on people who have more than one home, like the many people who own a cottage in Muskoka.

When are our kids’ generation going to start working for what they want and stop this expectation of entitlement that they and people like you feel they deserve just because they were born after baby boomers?

- Claudia and Joe Stampone, Oakville