Taxpayers deserve some credit

Morning Star Editorial: Published: April 07, 2009 7:00 PM

One has to wonder if MP Colin Mayes and our MLAs are losing track of where they have been? On Monday, Mayes and George Abbott were doling out cash in the Shuswap, Enderby, Armstrong and Spallumcheen. While on Tuesday, Mayes was joined by Tom Christensen to announce grants in Lumby, Coldstream and Vernon. Obviously these whirl-wind announcements are welcome news and the money is going towards some critical projects, whether it’s a new park in Coldstream, water upgrades in Enderby or highway improvements in Vernon and Spallumcheen. But the way Mayes, Abbott and Christensen brag, you would think the money is actually coming out of their pockets. No where is it mentioned that what they are doing is giving back residents money that they have been forced to contribute through taxes.

On top of this, residents get a double-whammy because most of the initiatives require participation from municipalities or regional districts. That means local jurisdictions are also digging deep into taxpayers’ wallets. There is absolutely nothing wrong with tax dollars going towards infrastructure projects and, in fact, it’s better than some dark hole or questionable program launched by government. But ultimately it would be nice if the politicians actually acknowledged where the money is coming from instead of taking all of the credit themselves.