Dear Editor,
The 0.5 per cent added to the PST will be included with regular PST, totaling 7.5 per cent. How is the government going to distinguish what part of this 0.5 per cent actually goes to metro congestion?
I fear that these monies will go into general revenue, and the government will dish out what it feels like for metro congestion tax. They say the tax will end after 10 years. Do you really believe this?
There will never be enough money for the government and TransLink. They will be asking for more after 10 years.
This tax increase is supposedly for Broadway and Surrey lines, an increase in bus service for some areas, bridges and roads. Roads? Which ones are they referring to?
Municipalities are responsible for maintenance of residential streets via your property taxes. Some roads and bridges are the responsibility of the federal government (i.e. Arthur Laing Airport Bridge/Canada Line to the airport). The province is responsible for highways and some bridges (Port Mann/Massey Tunnel etc). So, which roads and bridges is TransLink responsible for? (Editor’s note: The Golden Ears Bridge).
Keep in mind, once these bridges are built, we will be paying tolls on them — double jeopardy!
One simply cannot trust TransLink, given their track record on spending and the salaries it pays its executives and board of directors.
Also, some of the TransLink police are retired officers from other police forces. They are being highly paid by TransLink and may also be collecting pensions from their force.
We already pay TransLink tax at the gas pumps, BC Hydro (check your BC Hydro invoice), property taxes, and there’s the good old carbon tax.
TransLink has taken away discount privileges offered to groups such as WorkSafe BC, school boards, the City of Vancouver, and yet the UPASS (for university students) is untouched. Why? I say it’s time to terminate this privilege. After all, students are the majority of users.
The only remedy is to get rid of the entire TransLink board. This board should be elected by taxpayers, just like provincial and municipal governments.
The plebiscite’s being mailed out to residents in Metro Vancouver, but at who’s cost? The taxpayer.
TransLink is paying huge amounts for the “yes” campaign. These dollars would be betters spent on funding the very projects they are asking about. Stop wasting our hard earned money.
Steve Chang
Richmond
