As you know I attended the council meeting on May 4, with my mother. She is one of the many who receive a copy of their city electricity bill through the mail.
She does not have a computer. She appreciates receiving a paper copy of her bill and the city newsletter that comes with it. She files the paper copy of her electricity bill, along with all the other paper copies of her bills, and at the end of each year tracks their monthly cost against her income. This is how she, and no doubt many others on small pensions, are able to budget to ensure their bills are paid on time.
I find this a very laudable and respectful attitude of money management. My mother, who for many years in England was owner/operator of a retail business, understands well there are administrative costs to doing business that must be factored into the final cost to the customer.
The point I wish to make is that the cost of postage is an administrative cost to the city. Just as the cost of paper, ink, photocopiers, staff time, insurance, heat and light at city offices and telephones are administrative costs.
We all know that the administrative costs of government are paid for by our taxes.
We also know that the cost of these services will increase year over year by at least as much as the rate of inflation and sometimes by more, as is the current case with the increase in postage costs.
To argue that many businesses now charge a mailing fee for clients to receive a paper copy of an invoice misses two points. One, that clients are free to shop where they choose, taxpayers do not have that freedom of choice, and two, that government is not a business, it is a service.
What’s more, government is a service we cannot do without, hence the need for citizen participation at the ballot box.
Government is responsible for spending tax money in the best way possible for all its citizens. Therefore, to download one particular administrative cost to those who, for the most part I would argue, are the more vulnerable citizens of our society, is unjust and unfair.
Yes, do all you can to increase participation in e-billing, many citizens will print a paper copy of their bill and file it anyway thus saving the city paper, ink, machinery costs, etc., but please don’t be small minded and think it’s only $10 a year for 10 bills, what’s to complain about?
Andrina Iliffe
Penticton
