VANCOUVER, BC: With less than two weeks
before municipal voting day, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has
announced that 86 candidates for mayor and council have signed the CTF’s
Contract with Taxpayers. “This
commitment to taxpayers is unprecedented in its strength and diligence,”
said Jordan Bateman, the CTF’s British Columbia director. “These
candidates aren’t just talking the talk, they are walking the
walk—putting their own salaries on the line to keep property taxes as
low as possible.” The Contract with
Taxpayers includes ten points, including keeping tax increases at or
below the provincial rate of inflation, encouraging direct democracy,
supporting transparency in expenses and a Municipal Auditor General and
resisting downloading from senior levels of government. Candidates
signing the Contract have promised to introduce a Taxpayer Protection
Bylaw in their community if elected. This bylaw would enshrine the
Contract’s principles and enforce a provision for a 15 per cent mayor
and council pay cut if property taxes are raised beyond the rate of
inflation without explicit public consent. This is similar to what the
B.C. premier and cabinet face when the province is in deficit.
“It’s
not enough to hear about candidates wanting to keep taxes low at
election time. We’ve all seen that song and dance too many times,” said
Bateman. “The Taxpayer Protection Bylaw would ensure taxpayers’ rights
are put first and foremost in every civic decision. It would shape how
spending decisions are made, by ensuring revenue is available before the
money goes out the door. This should be part of the DNA of city halls
across B.C.”
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Contract, Backgrounder and Draft Taxpayer Protection Bylaw are available here.
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