Tax Hike Not Necessary: One Man's Opinion

By Ben Meisner

  Now we weren’t told Wednesday night the “average price “ increase on your municipal taxes will be about $89 dollars a year , that of course based on your home being worth $133,000 dollars. You were not also told that if the Regional District wants an extra slice, just how much that will be, nor were you told about school taxes. Nor were you told that come June your utility bill will rise, the equivalent of just over another ½ of one per cent in the taxes.

So where does that leave the home owner who is facing a municipal tax increase just shy of 8% , of course right there in line with what you will be getting by way of a raise , or for that matter an increase in your pension benefits in 2007-08.

We are told at the outset that our voices would be heard, that they would be taken under consideration before any decision was made. But true to tradition they were not.

The question remains, why can’t this city find 2 million dollars a year in savings from the city’s total budget of over 100 million so that taxes do not need to rise? Both the federal and provincial governments have been cutting taxes, but not here.

The whole road levy smacked of the famous Terasen Gas deal; it doesn’t matter if the people vote against the idea, just keep bringing it back up until you get the answer that you want.

It’s called democracy?

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

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