The Editor,
Re: “Surrey tax hike ‘tip of iceberg,’ Annis warns, the Now-Leader, Nov. 19.
Thanks to Councillor Linda Annis for pointing out the true tax increases proposed in the city’s draft budget.
It reminds me of days gone by when then Doug McCallum ran on a platform of zero property tax increases only to introduce a “drainage levy” to increase his operational budget.
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One day it was raining, the next day we were being charged a “special levy” to have the water drain away from our yard. It took a few years, but the auditors finally ruled that this levy was, in fact, a tax. Then, as now, you may find that your home is subject to a new “parcel tax,” adding another 10 per cent increase to your tax bill.
Missing in this article is whether this will continue to be an annual line item in the city draft budget. At issue here is the financial “truth” in McCallum’s commentary.
He wants us to believe that he is replacing the RCMP because he promised to do so in his campaign, yet never discusses the financial impacts this will have. Much like his promise to build SkyTrain to Langley at half the suggested $3.1 billion projected cost, no one in Surrey believes him.
This strategy will end in the dismissal of Mayor McCallum and his voting block next election. McCallum and his minions ran on a promise of a 2.9 per cent maximum tax increase.
It appears to me that only some promises need to be kept.
John Millar, Surrey
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