A war of words has erupted between Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel over tax cuts, and comments made by the mayor.

It all started over the weekend as Rempel went after the municipal government for property tax increases that will hit suburban businesses particularly hard.

2/ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyccc?src=hash">#yyccc</a> needs to have a rethink about this policy. This is not what our city needs right now. <a href="https://t.co/hmDJW41Poj">https://t.co/hmDJW41Poj</a> —@MichelleRempel

Her comments were enough to get Nenshi riled, defending the city's spending and yet-to-be-clarified plan to bail out those hit particularly hard by the increases with a $15 million fund.

5. What do you suggest we do differently? Your government dealt with recession by running massive deficits but we can't and won't. <a href="https://t.co/xVebZUy2jQ">https://t.co/xVebZUy2jQ</a> —@nenshi

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Nenshi took things a bit further.

"Oh, there's not national interest," he said of the issue. "There's a local MP who's trying to make hay out of something she doesn't understand. I'm happy to have her wade in. I'm happy to have her help, if she wants to help, but it's sort of helpful if she actually knows what she's talking about first.

"She just didn't understand what was going on. Apparently math is challenging, but hopefully she'll figure that out."

Those comments, reminiscent of the late Jim Prentice's "math is difficult" quip during an election debate with Rachel Notley, changed the tone of the debate on social media, with property taxes taking a back seat.

Ffs. Math is hard. —@MichelleRempel

Rempel attacked Nenshi for his comments, saying he was "mansplaining" to her, a term used when a man talks down to a woman.

Nenshi apologized on Twitter for his comments, arguing he'd use the same words for men.

I'm truly sorry that came off as sexist. I would and have said the same thing to men in political discourse. <a href="https://t.co/e71BuxELy3">https://t.co/e71BuxELy3</a> —@nenshi

But Rempel's anger was unabated.

As was the anger of many of her supporters.