Editor, The News:
Re: Rough ride for TLink vote (The News, Jan. 16).
Regarding the transit tax, I stand with our mayor in opposition to the proposed increased.
TransLink already gets a portion of our property tax, a huge chunk of gas tax and who knows how many other taxes. They are a cash guzzling machine.
I have yet to see an article pertaining to the amount of tax collected in TransLink’s name added to the dollars collected in fares and tolls versus the amount of expenditures.
Perhaps the government is siphoning off too many TransLink dollars and really needs more money elsewhere.
Just be honest with us for once, please.
And while we are at it – why are taxpayers paying for more buses?
How about transit users pay a fare that is in line with the cost of operating transit.
Why does it need to come out of an additional sales tax?
We got some fantastic new infrastructure in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows and I am thankful for the Golden Ears Bridge and the new Pitt River Bridge every time I cross them, but they were replacing an old and outdated ferry system and an old swing bridge that broke down a few too many times.
This is what our gas taxes were for and now we pay to cross the Golden Ears.
On the other side of the river, a new highway was built and no tolls were added to it.
The Sea to Sky Highway was rebuilt and there were no tolls on it.
Why are we singled out as a community that needs to pay for our infrastructure upgrades.
Now to add insult to injury, TransLink wants to increase our sales tax so that we can get a bus in five years or so. This is ludicrous.
Look at all of the infrastructure in this province. The highway system, the roads, the transit services, they were all paid for out of lower percentage tax dollars from a much smaller tax base.
Why is it that we cannot even make simple upgrades out of existing tax revenue without always going to the trough for more money.
Bruce Mallory
Maple Ridge