The Manitoba government committed to further studying the province's school tax at the Progressive Conservative party's annual meeting in Brandon this past weekend, Minister of Education and Training Ian Wishart says.

The Portage MLA says a resolution carried to review the school tax structure and produce a report no later than next year's annual meeting.

"The direction taken was that we should study this and bring back to our next annual meeting a report on possible solutions," Wishart says. "...It may well move quicker than that, but that's the furthest goal post."

Many Portage area rural landowners cried foul about the school tax last year, after increased assessments saw them facing a massive rate increase. They were hit with a hike of about $952 on an 800-acre farm -- or $1.19 per acre -- while residential properties went up just $58 on a home valued at about $270,000. Business owners in the region actually had decreased assessments and paid a lower tax rate.

"The change in assessments that came out this past year, there was a significant jump in some areas and not so much in others," Wishart says. "So some people are paying a bill that is nearly double what it was before and others actually noticed slight drops."

"It raises everybody's attention, about whether this is done equitably, when you see those kinds of things."

Wishart adds there was some discussion on what possible alternatives could be introduced, but the tax formula is complex, and it's a fairly major change for government to move in any one direction.

"We didn't resolve it, but we certainly got some good suggestions on places to look," Minister Wishart says. "And some work to do in regards to figuring our way forward with it."