Editor:
This is my take on city taxes in light of a report by Oxfam, for your interest.
Oxfam said on January 16, 2023 that the one per cent got twice as much as the bottom 99 per cent of the world’s wealth… in the last decade, they got half of all new wealth. I wonder, does Oxfam have it right?
Life is getting better for the one per cent and it is getting worse for the 99 per cent. My own house insurance has gone up 32 per cent from last year.
For me, it is no wonder that our city doesn’t have enough money to maintain its infrastructure, much less improve it.
The rich do not pay their fair share of taxes, the system is “rigged” for them not to. Most working people pay more than their share of taxes and it is still short. The city is not affordable. We have homelessness, hunger, poverty, etc.
All that should be eliminated by a previous city bylaw we had here promising to work towards an affordable, sustainable city which was carbon neutral by 2032. It can be done.
We all could have an affordable city to live in.
Princeton is raising property taxes by 35 per cent. White Rock is raising taxes by 17.5 per cent. Castlegar is going for 13.7 per cent. Vancouver is going for 10 per cent.
We have to pay for city public works, schools, hospital, etc.
When you look at the rich in the world, you can see clearly why the 99 per cent is short of money in city budgets.
Herb Nakada
Williams Lake