We're flooded with information, including the 2011 census. It's enlightening to examine changes occurring since 2006 that affect our lives in Canada, British Columbia and Delta. Both positive and negative, they include increases in our income and the taxes we must pay.
Between 2006 and 2011, the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 9.9 per cent. It compares, over time, the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers. The CPI is the basis for adjustments to private and public pensions, including OAS and CPP. Employers use it to increase wages so their employees' cost of living of is not impacted by inflation.
Canada is helping us. Income limits of tax brackets were raised to reduce our taxes and many opportunities for savings were introduced, including TFSAs and pension splitting for seniors.
British Columbia may also be trying. Income tax rates were lowered and the income limits of tax brackets rose, but savings were eroded by increases in Medical Services Plan premiums. The unfortunate PST/HST kafuffle so baffles my understanding that I find it impossible to draw any overall conclusion.
For some reason, perhaps our mild climate, the increase in B.C.'s CPI was only 6.7 per cent. Compared to the federal 9.9 per cent used for salary and pension adjustments, we may be saving on our purchases.
Unfortunately, Delta doesn't seem to be trying to help us. If there was any financial advantage to living in B.C., it was wiped out by Delta's residential property tax increases. I don't know about yours, but the municipal part of my tax bills went up 38 per cent.
Property taxes are influenced by the vagaries of annual assessments and what Delta deems shall be the relative burden of various property tax categories: residential, farm, business and industry. Delta's "tax draw" increased by 24 per cent over the five years. This is revenue Delta collects from taxes, as opposed to grants, fees, interest, gifts, etc. The tax draw, I assume, is not only used to provide us with services but also for capital costs and to service debt.
Neither my 38 per cent tax increase nor Delta's 24 per cent tax draw increase relate exclusively to the cost of services we receive. Delta's operating budget seems the best measure of what municipal services cost us. It's up 25.6 per cent.
The major cost in Delta's operating budget must be its more than 850 civic employees. In the past five years, the wages of Delta's CUPE staff increased 19 per cent. Can taxpayers afford Delta's largesse? Some can't, and it seems to me none should have to.
I can't see why CUPE should have enjoyed a 19 per cent wage increase when those paying their wages received 9.9 per cent.
Negotiations for a new contract with CUPE have begun. We must demand of Delta that it stubbornly negotiate on behalf of taxpayers, not on behalf of an employer that simply increases taxes to collect whatever it needs. We must demand an outcome that is fair to taxpayers as well as employees.
