Ooops: Min Fassbender has apparently retracted his statement, according to Mr. Nagle. Now, a vehicle levy is a new tax; a referendum is required. Oh my.
Jeff Nagle writes in the Surrey Leader. My head reels, but Minister for Translink Peter Fassbender says now that a vehicle levy is OK for transit funding — no referendum required.
That’s a major policy reversal from the province, which had until now taken the position that a vehicle levy effectively amounts to a new tax – triggering the premier’s promise of a referendum on any new source – even though it already exists in TransLink legislation.
“It can be done without one,” Fassbender said in an interview Friday, adding the province would have to enable ICBC to collect the annual fee from vehicle owners. . . .
. . . . . Several Metro mayors said they’re stunned by the minister’s willingness to allow a car levy without a new public vote.
“It might have been a different discussion a year and a half ago,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore.
“It was crystal clear that it had to go to referendum,” Moore said of the vehicle levy. “I’m shocked. It seems like it’s just a complete change in direction we’ve been given.”
Minister Fassbender now says he “mis-spoke” !!
Author
Mis-spoke now, or then?
@GregMooredotca Yes. Vehicle levy = a new tax (at least newly collected) so it needs referendum. Back to regularly scheduled programming.
tweet from Jeff Nagel at 6:07pm
I guess Christy pulled his leash.
A car levy is different than road tolls or congestion charges. CC is indeed somewhat stuck in old times here. I’d rather see them lowering income taxes or PST but increase road, bridge and tunnel tolls.
A car levy? Wasn’t that what took down the NDP back in the ’90s? In that case I’m all for it if there’s a chance it would result in the BC Liberals getting booted out of office.
We truly get what we deserve by voting these inept clowns into office.
At least the current clown keep the operational debt in check, public sector wages somewhat constrained and the taxes low. Other clowns, like the one we see now in AB or ON or Ottawa spend spend spend as if debt doesn’t matter and offload our demands today to future generations to pay interest on. That is better why ?
The strawman is strong in you. Your ability to take my sentence, go on an irrelevant rant and then end it by trying to put me on the defensive about a point I never made…congrats on that.
Thomas, what happened to the “invest in infrastructure now, because interest rates are low” rhetoric that we’ve heard from you in the past? Is debt only valuable if a right-leaning government is in power?
British Columbia is doing better economically than any other province – by far. No other province has the balanced budgets BC has and BC has had four in a row. There is not another place in North America, or just about all of Europe that is in such good economic shape as BC. This also enables BC to continue to pay down debt and borrow money for infrastructure at the lowest rate possible. Ontario pays around a $1 million a day on debt interest!
BC also a Carbon Tax that enviros across the world say is the best model to emulate.
BC also has a low unemployment rate and is creating jobs. As Alberta suffers more workers will return to, or move to BC. BC is working and ready to take up the slack.
If the Feds and Metro can figure out their share the BC government has always said it is ready to participate in rapid-transit infrastructure funding.
While I agree in principle, Eric, if you peel back the onion BC is not in as great shape financially as many claim. The onion is relying heavily on Asian immigrants with money. Take that away, and all the associated construction of condos and new houses, and it would not be so strong economically. LNG is a distant future, historically string mining or gas tax revenues are low and have fallen, its tech sector has some employees but not nearly as many California as a share of population, its tourism is cyclical and its public sector workers and government payroll just as fat as elsewhere. This dependency on Asian money is the core reason why the government is not moving very fast on the torrent of money that floods the Lower Mainland and drives house prices into the stratosphere.
Don’t worry too much Thomas. BC is more than just Vancouver.
I get that Eric. Lower Mainland though is 2/3 of BC.
Lower Mainland benefits form export and import ie the end of all pipelines, railways and highways. Loads of jobs here.
It also benefits from better weather than rest of Canada and scenic geography, mountains and ocean. Ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon and go to the opera in the evening; what other city in the world offers that ?
Hence: a retirement or semi-retirement destination for folks that have lived elsewhere, especially AB, SK and MB, or a destination for folks (like me) that could live anywhere but derive a bulk of their incomes from somewhere else: mining folks, investors, Asian folks with business in Asia, import/export firms, consultants, students ..
Okanagon now booming due to low Can $s as US destined snow birds bring cash back or find Palm Springs or Phoenix too expensive, AB has lost its luster and high wages and Lower Mainland folks that find better house/condo value there.
I don’t worry. The Asian money will keep coming as real estate prices in US $ or Yuan actually are lower than 2 years ago ! But hopefully we can monetize all that cash better to benefit locals more.