Toronto Mayor David Miller says he will hold off on cuts to community and recreation centres if council agrees to hold a special meeting to consider two controversial taxes.

The centres were slated to be closed one day a week in order to save money.

In a move to get councillors' support, city manager Shirley Hoy has already agreed to keep the centres open this Monday for some programs.

Miller says the land transfer tax and vehicle registration fee are needed to alleviate the cash-strapped city's budget woes.

Hoy had previously announced that community centres would be closed to all activities on Mondays. It was one of many measures introduced when council voted in July to defer the taxes until Oct. 22, after the provincial election.

"I'm urging members to agree (to a special meeting) because by doing so and adopting the tax measure we can ... resolve the city's immediate financial challenges," Miller said at a news conference on Thursday.

He made the plea while flanked by 18 councillors.

"We have an extraordinary city ... but without the services that support a decent quality of life for every Torontonian, our city simply will not succeed," Miller said.

The mayor says the two new taxes would generate $356 million a year.

Residents and business leaders who attended the news conference admit the city is facing a large problem.

"I've been the beneficiary of the kind of city this city has been for my life and for my kids' lives, and I think we're in a serious situation here," said Albert Schultz, a local actor with the Soulpepper Theatre Company.

Miller, however, failed to sell his idea to others.

"I think what we saw today was an act of desperation from a mayor who's trying to salvage what little credibility he has left," said Satinder Chera, a member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

"The way he's going about it, to railroad these taxes right through, isn't the right approach."

Residents told CTV News they don't think Miller won't follow through on the tax hike.

"He's kind of holding us by the throat," one man said.

"I think he's just doing it to scare people off," said another woman.

Miller has also launched a campaign for tax fairness, aimed at provincial parties in the Oct. 10 election.

He has long argued the city needs a better deal from the provincial government, including the uploading of various social services downloaded by the previous Conservative government.

Miller's campaign has set up a website, www.fairtaxes.ca.

A move to push the current tax debate day, Oct. 22, would require approval from two-thirds of city council.

Twenty-two councillors were in favour of voting on the new taxes at the July 22 session, meaning Miller needs eight more on board to pass the motion.

Toronto currently faces a budget shortfall of $575 million. The fiscal crisis has prompted sweeping cuts to municipal services.

Nearly $83 million in service cuts have already been identified this year in various municipal departments.

The TTC on Wednesday announced a fare increase, which will come into effective on Nov. 4.

Miller said the hike cannot be rolled back, even if the city approves the proposed taxes.