Taxation Priorities :One Man's Opinion

By Ben Meisner

   The importance in dealing with taxation with any form of government is first to determine the priorities of the taxpayers and then, as best you can, play out their wishes.

The federal and provincial government have both heard from the people that they feel they would prefer a reduction in services and with it a reduction of taxes.

Taxpayers have generally said we no longer wish to be slaves to the government of all levels.

Now having said all that, we are constantly told that the municipal level of government has found itself a victim of down loading by the senior levels.
That argument might have made a great deal of sense in years gone by. But it simply will not fly today and taxpayers in most cities now agree that they also would like their respective municipality to get back to the basics.

What was the purpose for the forming of a municipality, water, sewer, roads, police and fire protection? 

Somewhere, however along the road, we have lost those priorities and now find ourselves faced with a possible 4% increase in local taxes just to try and bring back up to standard a road structure that should have been maintained all along.

We have spent taxpayer money in many instances in recent years serving a small segment of our society.

Small lobby groups have been able to get the ear of Council and with it, make their way into the public purse. Suddenly the game has caught up with us, there is no guarantee that the 4% will be the total increase in taxes, bearing in mind there are other requirements that will likely see taxes increase.

For example, the new sports center at UNBC will cost the city, on average $300,000 a year. Coupled with this growing demand on the municipal purse has been the fact that municipalities have become hooked on gambling revenue, police fine revenue, gas tax revenue and the revenue from Terasen gas. All of which come with a price tag on society.

Instead of holding public meetings in the city to follow the lead of the federal and provincial government in finding ways to cut the municipal costs, we are about to hold meetings to sell us on the idea of a tax increase.

As we have seen in the past, regardless of what may be said at these get togethers, the die in most cases has already been cast.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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