Penticton taxpayers, eight months ago I fought the reduction in the business multiplier or multiple from 1.75 to 1.5.
Council backed down and reversed the proposed amendment.
However, if you go to two hours and 45 minutes of the council video of the Nov. 4 meeting, you will see council discussing the reduction once again.
I made a very angry call to Couns. Vassilaki and Konanz wanting to know why this reduction is back on the agenda.
You will see that Mayor Litke is trying to hide from the proposed changes when he is questioned on the matter by other councillors.
In my mind, Mayor Litke fails on honesty, transparency and accountability to the Penticton taxpayers on this matter. Mayor Litke how would the reduction in the multiple affect the Penticton residential taxpayers over a five-year period, please prepare and present the schedules to show your calculations to the taxpayers.
Mayor Litke, I have some concerns as to how the 2013 budget was allocated to the various groups of taxpayers. I may be wrong but my gut tells me that the amount charged to the business community was a fixed amount based on the fact that the tax rate for business did not change when the multiplier was re-stated to 1.75.
Please publish the backup working papers that explain how council arrived at the tax rates for residential and business taxpayers (full calculations required).
Mayor Litke, please inform me if you are going to force me to prepare and file a freedom of information request on the above in order to force you to provide the information.
The Penticton residential taxpayers will probably be assessed with the majority of the costs on the proposed downtown revitalization that is currently on the council planning table. If my gut is correct, residential taxpayers could be charged with 100 per cent of the downtown revitalization, Mayor Litke will probably fail on the disclosures as to how the costs are to be allocated to residential and business taxpayers.
Penticton taxpayers please do not go into hibernation for the winter, pay attention and demand honest explanations.
Mayor Litke, I would be happy for you to respond to the Penticton taxpayers with a letter to the editor on the above matters.
Ted Wiltse
Penticton
