"The cost of acting now is less than 35 cents a day, cheaper than the postage on your ballot!" No, it's not a pitch from a humanitarian organization looking to send relief to some Third World country, but rather the rationale offered by those who want you to back an increase to the provincial sales tax.
The yes side launched its campaign in Downtown Vancouver earlier this week in a bid to garner support for a congestion improvement tax that will be put in front of Metro Vancouver voters through a mail-in referendum this spring. The proposed 0.5 per cent hike to the sales tax is expected to generate $250 million annually, money that would be earmarked for transit improvements identified in a 10-year, $7.5-billion plan put together by the region's mayors.
That 35 cents a day works out to an additional $125 per year for the average household, so it's not quite as insignificant as those backing the tax would lead you to believe. However, if it's going to improve commute times and help the region accommodate the additional one million people expected here over the next 25 years, then it's money well spent, right?
Well, the answer to that one likely depends on what part of the region you call home. It's not surprising the mayors of those jurisdictions that have the most to gain have taken a leading role in endorsing the tax, nor is it a bombshell that Vancouver, Surrey and New Westminster are expected to help finance the campaign.
Those in the yes camp say the mayors' plan will provide 70 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents with more frequent transit service, which is great if you happen to be part of that 70 per cent. Alas, Delta is not, so we are left with what our MLA has accurately described as the "crumbs."
We're told, in an ominous kind of way, the cost of doing nothing is far greater than the 35 cents we're being asked to shell out daily to fund the improvement plan. That's true, but if we're asking everyone in Greater Vancouver to pay for it, shouldn't we all derive some benefit from yet another hand in our pockets?
The big ticket items are in the areas with the greatest concentration of voters, so I suspect the referendum has a good chance of passing, which means soon every purchase we make will help fund transit improvements somewhere else in the region.
I guess there's something to be said for assisting those in need. And this way you can do so without having to send your money overseas.
