Four years ago Rob Ford rode a slogan - stop the gravy train - and a promise to cut the vehicle registration tax to an easy win in his run for mayor of Toronto. Two weeks into his campaign to replace his brother, Doug Ford today unveiled his tax cut to try to seduce voters away from John Tory and Olivia Chow.

Ford said he will cut the land transfer tax by 15 per cent in his first year and then by another 15 per cent every year until it is eliminated completely. The Municipal Land Transfer tax is only six years old. It’s a tax tacked onto the Ontario land transfer tax when buyers purchase a home in Toronto. For example buying an $800,000 home in the city means you will pay $12,475 to the province and then $11,725 to Toronto. The tax brings in about $320 million a year for the city. Ford said he’ll find the $52 million cost in year one by privatizing garbage pickup on the east side of the city. Ford insisted there’s lots of ways to cut spending at city hall. Ford has yet to come up with one slogan but seems to be testing a few out. Ford keeps promising to put “money back in people’s pockets not the city’s pockets.” It’s certainly not as grabby as stop the gravy train.

Tory and Chow were both asked about the Ford tax cut and they restated their positions. Tory said he is not in favour of cutting the land transfer tax at this point. Chow stuck with her commitment for a one per cent increase in the tax on properties that cost more than $2 million - money she says is needed to pay for some of her spending programs in her platform.

The Rob Ford administration backed a cut in the land transfer tax but did not manage to get it through city council. Doug Ford said today he learned from that experience and promised he will have the votes on city council to get the tax cut he wants.

Tonight the leading candidates were joined by Ari Goldkind in a true community candidates meeting at the Joseph J. Piccininni Community Centre on St. Clair West. After the predictable opening statements were delivered the community asked the questions it wanted to ask. No filters. One after another they came to the microphone to ask about everything from the processing of uranium in the area to how the city provides for autistic children. The questions were asked with passion and at times the answers were just as passionate.

Chow was challenged directly for her service as an immigrant politician in Toronto. Her answer was clear and unequivocal. Chow said the question had nothing to do with her as an immigrant. She called herself “a proud Canadian and proud Torontonian” and then promised when she is mayor “everyone will count.”

There were questions about affordable housing. Goldkind pointed out that only he will say what needs to be said - raise taxes - and promised he would raise the property tax in the city by 50 cents for each home owner to invest in Toronto. Tory pointed the finger at the Ontario government to help fund the housing. Chow said only she will commit to building 15,000 new affordable housing units. Ford said before building new housing the current housing in disrepair needs to be fixed.

Most of the meetings and debates held so far have filtered the questions. The predictable result – questions about transit, gridlock, development, taxes and leadership. This evening not one question about the Toronto Transit Commission or subways, development, leadership or taxes.