Enough Is Enough: No New Taxes
Calgary's taxes have nearly doubled in the last 10 years - increasing far faster than inflation or population growth, and far faster than Calgarians can afford.
You'd think after 10 years of massive tax hikes, that would be enough for Calgary council, wouldn't you?
But you'd be wrong.
Last year, we warned that the "Financial Task Force" being set up by Council to "fix" Calgary's budget hole would simply recommend new and higher taxes.
This morning, they presented their report to Council, and... they are recommending new and higher taxes.
Here's just some of what the report proposes:
- Alcoholic Beverage Tax
- Entertainment Tax
- Amusement Tax
- Motor Vehicle Ownership Registration Tax
- Parking Tax
- Parking Sales Tax
- Tobacco Tax
- Hotel Tax
- Municipal Income Tax
- (Higher) Property Tax
- Fuel Tax
- Gaming Tax
- Insurance Premium Tax
- Resource Revenue
- Road Pricing
- (Higher) Development Levy
- Municipal Land Transfer Tax
- Municipal Sales Tax
- (Higher) Enmax Fees
- (Higher) Provincial Taxes (they want a share)
- (Higher) Federal Taxes (they want a share)
- (Another) Business Tax
- (Yet Another) Business Tax
- Tourist Tax
- Small Home-Business Tax
- Golf Course Tax
- Uber Tax
- Scooter Tax
- Billboard Advert Tax
- and more...
Did Council reject this ridiculous idea?
Of course not!
You name it, Council want to tax it!
Council just voted 12-3 to pursue dozens of new taxes.
Voting in favour were Councillors:
- Nenshi
- Davison
- Farrell
- Gondek
- Jones
- Keating
- Sutherland
- Woolley
- Carra
- Chahal
- Colley-Urquhart*
- Demong*
Voting against were Councillors:
*Councillors Colley-Urquhart and Demong voted against the motion to accept the report's recommendations but in favour of the motion allowing City Administration to pursue the new taxes anyway.
To be clear, you can't really blame the members of the task force for this, as they were explicitly banned by the Mayor and Council from considering any spending cuts.
This is, once again, the fault of an out-of-control Council that has no plan other than making you pay more.
After years and years and years of lobbying the provincial government to be allowed to introduce new taxes, City Administration finally convinced the NDP to let them, only for the new provincial government to undo that change.
So now they want to try again, and spend your money lobbying the province to be allowed to take more of your money.
Despite the repeated claims of Mayor Nenshi, Calgary doesn't have the lowest taxes in the Country.
It doesn't even have the lowest taxes in the west - far from it.
Calgary has higher taxes per capita than Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
In fact, big-spending, big-taxing Edmonton is the only major western city with higher taxes than Calgary (by just 2.3%).
And that's BEFORE you count all the extra fees and charges we pay in Calgary.
Enough is enough.
It's time to send a crystal clear message to Council.
Council must get spending under control.
Forget new taxes.
Forget tax hikes.
It's time for a tax cut!
Please sign our petition to Council making it clear that enough is enough, and then share the petition with your friends, family, co-workers, and every Calgarian, so that our voices can finally be heard by this Council.
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Tax this, tax that, tax the other – we are broke but, while our incomes are continually eroded, Council continues to increase our cost of living.
Cut services and cut the cost of administration!
Now!
Stop spending beyond our ability to pay!