For
the past 35 years Toronto politicians along with federal and provincial MP and
MPP’s representing their political parties throughout the GTHA have not been
able to come up with a meaningful and lasting funding arrangement for effective
public transit.
For the media and special interest groups to suggest that Toronto’s
property taxpayers on their own could, is totally unrealistic and a self-serving
political agenda by a few career politicians and businesses who themselves cannot get
their hands out of the public trough.
Asking Torontonians to suck-up yet another little new sales tax increase of 1%, that over the years
would quickly become 5% or more, would not
come close to the annual BILLIONS of dollars needed to fund any new
subways, let alone LRT’s or the current infrastructure requirements for existing
operations and never-ending fare and salary increases of the TTC, is scandalous.
My proposed 1% Transit Tax on Banks, Unions, and Corporations Operating in Canada would generate $ 6 Billion annually for existing public transit in Canadian cities, including Toronto.
Compared to the 1% Sales Tax on citizen being proposed by special interest groups and businesses that would yield $1.3 Billion yearly, road tolls of $ 1.5 Billion or parking levies for $1 Billion annually according to media reports.
This
once again proposed Toronto sales tax, by special interest groups and businesses, for a 1% additional tax on the backs already overburden taxpayers would not at all come
close to the annual funds currently needed just for the current infrastructure operations and maintenance requirements of the existing operations of the TTC, let alone any new subways, LRT’s and new and improved roads and highways.
A Transit Tax of 1% on Banks, Unions and
Corporations would Generate 100%
more funding for public transit than
a 1% Sales tax on citizens.
Elected
City officials, like councillor Adam Vaughan, who preach the need for more
taxing power in order for the council to somehow be more responsible and grow the city is
hogwash.
Toronto’s transit and overall
fiscal crisis is the cause of chronic out of control spending habits and non-prudent councillors continued dereliction of duty on behalf of residents. It was not because of any perceived lack of or declining city revenues.
Prior
to this city's new current administration, spending increased by 60% while inflation rose
only by 23% over the same ten year period.
It has been obvious and the facts back it up that council has concerned itself over the years, not with transit matters or due
diligence for the overall city fiscal responsibilities but rather with attempts at
controlling the lives and habits of Torontonians.
With
some 200,000 plus by-laws,
regulations down to the level of what we eat, drink, French fries, no salt or
shark fins or tails aimed at reducing and controlling personal choices and
freedoms of individuals, corporations and union members alike.
And
all of course for the collective good as decided by them and on the basis that
some citizens lacked “self-control” and must not be allowed personal choices
and freedoms of rugged individualism.
History
repeats itself and has shown us that arbitrary actions by elected councillors
and governments that do not treat all taxpayers equally before the law are
arrogant enough to take away anything from citizens, including fundamental
individual democratic rights of freedoms, personal bank accounts, private or
corporate property and businesses or everything you have, for what they might
decide is the common good for all.
Councillor
Vaughan’s further comment about development charges within city wards being solely for the benefit of local needs, as perceived by local councillors and
not for distribution across the entire city to address the needs of Toronto as one city is
narrow-minded at best.
The
corporation of the City of Toronto
does not need property tax increase over the rate of inflation and definitely
not any new sales tax, road tolls, new development taxes etc.
However
what is urgently required are these three following items:
1.
Councils inability and unwillingness to implement meaningful
economic reforms, prudence and allocation of existing taxes involving pay as we
go financing, zero-based budgeting, spending reductions and program
eliminations starting with councillors salaries by $30,000 per year and
elimination of existing one-year golden severance package of salary and benefits,
go after tax evaders by corporations and citizens, reduction of staff positions
and numbers and a reduced number of councillors in line with provincial and
federal riding’s.
2.
A demand from the federal and provincial governments for a
minimum of 25% of existing fuel, gas
and diesel taxes for the GTHA public transit system.
3.
A 1% Corporate citizen
transit tax (1% federal and 1% provincial) on gross
revenues of all Canadian, federal, provincial, territorial and foreign
corporations, Unions and Union federations registered and or carrying on
business in Canada.(CUTT)
This is not the era of Queen Victoria and it’s
now time that all our Canadian companies and unions doing business in Canada honestly
and transparently become good corporate and union citizens organizations by willing to suck-up a small
tax increase dedicated to public transit across Canada.
To
this end it is also time that all GTH area elected provincial and federal
members flexed their muscle and stood up on behalf of their residents and not
their respective political parties and passed such a 1% Corporate and Union transit tax.
They
as a group regardless of political parties represent 38% of the entire population of Canada
and 47% of Ontario’s
population in the GTHA.
As
elected representatives of the people this group should be a combined voice of
one, in supporting and pushing for a
meaningful
and lasting funding proposal of existing public transit within Canadian cities
through a 1% transit tax on both Corporations and Unions doing business in Canada.
1% transit tax levied on both Corporations
and Unions as a meaningful and lasting funding proposal for existing public transit
within Canadian cities by our federal and provincial governments.
Voters
across Toronto, the GTHA, Ontario
and the rest of Canada
have swallowed enough tax increases from all three levels of government.
It
is now bailout time, for public transit, by our banks, financial institutions,
media corporations, and unions, federations like (OFL, CLC, CEP, OPSEU, OSSTF etc) the likes of
the Toronto Star and other incorporated entities to put up and pay up through a 1% transit tax levied on corporations (private and public)
and union organizations including all union federations.
Elected political party representatives at all three levels of government, for the most part, receive their financial backing from Corporations, Unions and Special Interest Groups. It's time they openly commenced being the representative of the public who voted them into office.
Finally the time for a 1% public transit
bailout tax on Corporations and Unions
is now as it has been long overdue!
Corporate and union transit tax
Contact your Provincial MPP @ http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do
INFO Up Date
TABLE 2.12 Summary of
Medium-Term Outlook
($ Billions)
|
|
Revenue
|
Interim
2011–12
|
Plan
2012–13
|
Outlook
|
|
2013–14
|
2014–15
|
|
Taxation Revenue
|
75.2
|
78.8
|
81.1
|
84.7
|
|
Personal Income Tax
|
24.2
|
25.8
|
27.2
|
28.7
|
|
Sales Tax
|
20.9
|
21.1
|
22.1
|
23.3
|
|
Corporations Tax
|
9.4
|
10.8
|
10.2
|
10.5
|
|
Ontario Health Premium
|
2.9
|
3.1
|
3.3
|
3.4
|
|
Education Property Tax
|
5.6
|
5.6
|
5.7
|
5.7
|
|
All Other Taxes
|
12.2
|
12.4
|
12.6
|
13.1
|
|
Government of Canada
|
21.4
|
21.8
|
23.0
|
23.5
|
|
Income from Government Business Enterprises
|
4.4
|
4.1
|
4.4
|
5.3
|
|
Other Non-Tax Revenue
|
8.3
|
7.6
|
7.6
|
7.5
|
|
Total Revenue
|
109.3
|
112.2
|
116.1
|
121.
|
|
Proposed revenue possibilities are:
Revenue source
|
Nominal rate
|
GTHA annual revenue
|
Personal income tax increase
|
1%
|
$1.4 billion
|
Sales tax
|
1%
|
$1.3 billion
|
Property tax
|
1%
|
$90 million
|
Payroll tax
|
1%
|
$500 million
|
Highway tolls
|
10 cents/KM
|
$1.5 billion
|
Fuel tax
|
10 cents
|
$500 million
|
Vehicle tax
|
$100
|
$300 million
|
Parking levy
|
$365 per space
|
$1.08 billion
|
Land transfer tax
|
1%
|
$600 million
|
Development charges
|
$5,000 per unit
|
$200 million
|
PS. As you can see NO mention or thought of a 1% transit tax on banks, unions or corporation?
Sources:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/13/a-home-grown-solution-to-torontos-transit-funding-woes/
