A resounding "no" to sales tax increase for transit
The results are in on the transit plebiscite, which asked voters in Metro Vancouver if they backed an increase in the sales tax of 0.5 per cent to pay for transit improvements.
Voters said "no" to a sales tax increase for transit in a resounding way - with 61.7 per cent opposed, and 38.3 per cent in favour. Surprisingly, the "no" forces won in every single municipality, except Bowen Island and Belcarra, both of which have little or no transit services.
Vancouver, which already has the best transit service and stood to gain a subway line down Broadway as far as Arbutus, rejected the plan by a slim margin, with just under 51 per cent opposed to the new sales tax.
The overall voter turnout was very impressive, with more than 51 per cent of the voting packages returned. However, a large number (38,393) were improperly filled out and another 2,513 votes were rejected, so the overall number of votes that were actually counted was slightly less than half. It's still a great turnout - far better than in municipal elections.
Given that the turnout in Vancouver was quite high, I had expected a closer vote. I expected a majority of Vancouver voters to back the tax increase.
I still felt that the vote was likely to go "no," given voter dissatisfaction with TransLink and the unhappiness about the huge amount spent to try and secure a "yes" vote. I must also give credit to Jordan Bateman and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation who ran a sterling "no" campaign on a shoestring budget.
There is simply no justification for governments to spend about $6 million of taxpayers' money trying to get the result they wanted. It is unprecedented - and it is wrong. Voters instinctively know that.
Kudoes go to the local governments in Langley Township and Delta, both of which resolved not to spend taxpayer dollars on the campaign. Too bad Surrey didn't follow their example.
Results south of the Fraser were pretty much what I had expected. Surrey voters rejected the tax increase by a 65-35 margin. White Rock was closer - 59-41. Delta rejected the plan 68-32, Langley Township by almost 75-25 and Langley City 72-28.
Interestingly enough, voter turnout in Langley City was more than twice what it was in the recent municipal election, and Langley City actually has better transit service than many parts of Surrey and Delta, and than almost all of Langley Township.
It was fascinating that Burnaby voters, who have the second-best transit service after Vancouver, rejected the measure 65-35. Coquitlam, about to get SkyTrain via the Evergreen Line, rejected it by 67-33 and Richmond, which has excellent service with the Canada Line, rejected it by a whopping 72-28 margin.
Provincial Transportation Minister Todd Stone says provincial one-third funding for LRT expansion and the Pattullo Bridge replacement is still on the table, and he said a federal contribution of one-third is also still available. He said it's up to mayors to come up with a method to fund the remaining third.
Mayors are pointing fingers back at the province, and the province does need to change governance of TransLink so that it is seen to be more accountable to taxpayers. Mayors have also rejected increasing property taxes.
Another less reactionary look at property taxes may be a good place to start when it comes to raising more funds. There are many concerns about the high price of real estate, and politicians like Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have jumped on that bandwagon. It is clear that owning a detached home is mainly for the wealthy these days. Why not have a modest or flat TransLink property tax on all properties up to a certain value (say $500,000), and a graduated TransLink tax which goes up sharply once a home is worth $1 million or more? That will squeeze some cash from the absentee property owners who many feel are inflating the real estate market disproportionately. Anyone owning a home worth more than $1 million can afford additional property tax, and for the few who cannot, the option of tax deferral is available.
Another revenue source could be a bicycle licencing fee, given all the funds TransLink and cities are putting into bike lanes, and another would be tolls on all major bridges, at about $1 per trip.
There will be plenty more to say on this topic going forward, but one thing is for sure. Transit improvements need to be made on an ongoing basis, and not frozen because of political finger-pointing over funding.
Voters said "no" to a sales tax increase for transit in a resounding way - with 61.7 per cent opposed, and 38.3 per cent in favour. Surprisingly, the "no" forces won in every single municipality, except Bowen Island and Belcarra, both of which have little or no transit services.
Vancouver, which already has the best transit service and stood to gain a subway line down Broadway as far as Arbutus, rejected the plan by a slim margin, with just under 51 per cent opposed to the new sales tax.
The overall voter turnout was very impressive, with more than 51 per cent of the voting packages returned. However, a large number (38,393) were improperly filled out and another 2,513 votes were rejected, so the overall number of votes that were actually counted was slightly less than half. It's still a great turnout - far better than in municipal elections.
Given that the turnout in Vancouver was quite high, I had expected a closer vote. I expected a majority of Vancouver voters to back the tax increase.
I still felt that the vote was likely to go "no," given voter dissatisfaction with TransLink and the unhappiness about the huge amount spent to try and secure a "yes" vote. I must also give credit to Jordan Bateman and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation who ran a sterling "no" campaign on a shoestring budget.
There is simply no justification for governments to spend about $6 million of taxpayers' money trying to get the result they wanted. It is unprecedented - and it is wrong. Voters instinctively know that.
Kudoes go to the local governments in Langley Township and Delta, both of which resolved not to spend taxpayer dollars on the campaign. Too bad Surrey didn't follow their example.
Results south of the Fraser were pretty much what I had expected. Surrey voters rejected the tax increase by a 65-35 margin. White Rock was closer - 59-41. Delta rejected the plan 68-32, Langley Township by almost 75-25 and Langley City 72-28.
Interestingly enough, voter turnout in Langley City was more than twice what it was in the recent municipal election, and Langley City actually has better transit service than many parts of Surrey and Delta, and than almost all of Langley Township.
It was fascinating that Burnaby voters, who have the second-best transit service after Vancouver, rejected the measure 65-35. Coquitlam, about to get SkyTrain via the Evergreen Line, rejected it by 67-33 and Richmond, which has excellent service with the Canada Line, rejected it by a whopping 72-28 margin.
Provincial Transportation Minister Todd Stone says provincial one-third funding for LRT expansion and the Pattullo Bridge replacement is still on the table, and he said a federal contribution of one-third is also still available. He said it's up to mayors to come up with a method to fund the remaining third.
Mayors are pointing fingers back at the province, and the province does need to change governance of TransLink so that it is seen to be more accountable to taxpayers. Mayors have also rejected increasing property taxes.
Another less reactionary look at property taxes may be a good place to start when it comes to raising more funds. There are many concerns about the high price of real estate, and politicians like Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have jumped on that bandwagon. It is clear that owning a detached home is mainly for the wealthy these days. Why not have a modest or flat TransLink property tax on all properties up to a certain value (say $500,000), and a graduated TransLink tax which goes up sharply once a home is worth $1 million or more? That will squeeze some cash from the absentee property owners who many feel are inflating the real estate market disproportionately. Anyone owning a home worth more than $1 million can afford additional property tax, and for the few who cannot, the option of tax deferral is available.
Another revenue source could be a bicycle licencing fee, given all the funds TransLink and cities are putting into bike lanes, and another would be tolls on all major bridges, at about $1 per trip.
There will be plenty more to say on this topic going forward, but one thing is for sure. Transit improvements need to be made on an ongoing basis, and not frozen because of political finger-pointing over funding.
Whatever the result, I was impressed with the number of people voting. Far more citizens in the Township voted in the referendum than in the 2013 Provincial election.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the increased turnout was due to the taxation question. But an argument can also be made that part of the voter participation was due to the method of voting and amount of time given to vote.
Maybe we'll be moving to on-line voting soon.
Excellent points, Shane.
ReplyDelete