Mayor John Tory’s maiden budget released at city hall Tuesday easily could have been authored by David Miller. Or Olivia Chow.

That’s great news if you are one of the “progressive” citizens who decry the anti-tax rhetoric that has dominated city politics for the last four years, putting the clamp on municipal services.

And it is far from a disaster for fiscal conservatives.

For one, it would be a stretch to call the near-$10-billion document a tax-and-spend budget. The 2.25 per cent hike on the Toronto average house is less than the Toronto rate of inflation, as Tory promised.

More importantly, the tax hike has lots of goodies for many of the city constituents — transit riders, recreationists, paramedics, the homeless, (insert service here). For a change, the narrative is, city hall is spending a little more to give taxpayers a little better service.

The surprise in a budget that increases overall spending by $258 million is that such a plan presents as reasonable and sustainable.

For all his bluster, Rob Ford the anti-tax crusader hit property taxpayers with 2.71 per cent hike last year, and 2.5 per cent increases in 2013 and 2012. He froze taxes in 2011 — but only after using the massive surplus of $367 million that Miller left him.

In addition, Ford saddled everyone with a half per cent hike for the Scarborough subway, an additional increase that will remain on your bill for decades.

If Tory campaigned as a tax-averse ideologue, as some have criticized, he is governing according to perceived needs on the street. This budget signals that he is not afraid to spend to improve service, even at the risk of offending his base conservative support.

There is a political price to pay for breaking his promise not to raise transit fares. And hard-core conservatives will be irate over the extra tax subsidy shoveled at the transit system. That dynamic will play out over four years. But, today, looking at the huge boost to transit that flows from the fare hike and the increased tax subsidy, Tory can be applauded for taking the risk.

Further budget evidence that Tory’s heart beats closer to that of a progressive than a conservative:

“New investments” total $170 million, with $75 million coming from the property tax base.

The city will hire 1,084 new staff — 802 of them to the TTC.

The controversial land transfer tax, targeted by some for extinction, is further entrenched in the city’s budget. Last year, land transfer revenues amounted to $75 million more than the budgeted $350 million. So, this year staff budgeted $425 million.

There’s almost $15 million for “poverty reduction,” including student nutrition programs.

The concerns about John Tory went something like this: He’s a conservative at heart. He was born into privilege. He’s Rob Ford, scrubbed clean. When push comes to shove he’ll cut spending, forget the poor, slash budgets and devastate the city.

But those who have seen him in the early days as he’s gone about turning over rocks and seeing how the city actually functions say social equity drives him.

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The transit file is a good example. Tory arrived at TTC headquarters expecting to freeze fares. They suggested a 5-cent fare hike. He stuck with zero. Then he saw the extent of the cuts to transit since 2011, and who felt the brunt of the cutbacks — the people in the suburbs depending on buses to get around. And he went from zero past the 5 cents the TTC wanted and landed at a 10-cent hike. But the key shoe was still to drop.

Tory didn’t just raise fares. He increased the tax subsidy by $38 million. The cost of the improvements is to be borne by all of us.

Sounds like something a New Democrat might do. And that explains why the budget will win easy approval at city council in March — despite a mixed bag of concerns from those who want more and those who want less.

Council will have much to chew on. Consider:

For the third straight year the city’s budget is balanced without using surplus from prior years.

Toronto’s debt continues to rise (so does the construction backlog). New spending will add $3.6 billion over 10 years. The big bump in 2015 comes from $1.6 billion in borrowing for the Scarborough subway.

Rob Ford identified $57 million in budget savings in year one. Tory? Nearly doubled at $108.

Over four years, Ford’s savings totaled $761 million (he famously claimed more than $1 billion). Tory will have to average $184 million a year from 2016-2018 to match his predecessor.

Every time someone complains about city spending, remind them that with this budget, Toronto is still the lowest taxed city in the region — by tax rate and average amount of taxes for the average home.

Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca

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