The city of St. John’s was owed $23-million in property taxes throughout 2018.

St. John’s City Councillor Dave Lane says although it seems as if the amount has not gone down much, they actually collected a large per cent of what they’re owed.

He says they collected $15-million over the course of 2019.

Lane says collecting property tax during tough economic times could mean the difference in someone having a place to live or not.

He says the City isn’t just taking their time in getting to those who are owing, it’s that they want to do as much as possible to prevent kicking people out of their homes.

Lane adds that because of their confidence in collecting, their budget actually includes the taxes owed.