The Town of Appleton is withdrawing a discount available to seniors on their property tax.

The discount allowed seniors 65 years or older to pay 10 per cent less on their property tax.

Mayor Garrett Watton says the decision was made after a review of the town’s budget following an increase in taxes two years ago.

He says the cost the town was absorbing from the discount was $10,000 this year, and the population of the town is ageing.

Watton says in the next five years, almost half the town will qualify for the discount. He says they can’t raise taxes again and expect the other half of the population to pay for the discount.

Appleton has looked at introducing an income-based discount, but with the uncertainty of the pandemic, they’ve elected to hold off.

While they have faced pushback from some residents, Watton is confident the issues will be worked out.