according to the Toronto Star, a confidential report entitled, "Building a 21st Century City" will be released this week. Drafted by Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall, the report proposes, among other things, to give the city of Toronto greater powers of taxation. If the recommendations become law, the Star says that Torontonians will face municipal taxes on such things as tobacco, bar drinks and entertainment tickets.
To give more responsibility over taxation to Toronto City Council is like allowing 6-year-olds to plan their weekly menu. Of course if the debate on a proposed bylaw to impose a curfew on those under 16 is any indication, many on council would be in favour of that too. after all, 6-year-olds have rights don’t you know.
Council will no doubt waste little time finding things that they can tax with their new found power. Cigarettes will undoubtedly be the first product to get hit. There is nothing more politically correct that taxing tobacco. Of course if this happens, the poor will be hit the hardest; those who do not have the choice to go to the surrounding jurisdictions of Halton, Peel, York and Durham to purchase cheaper products. and the poor of course are the ones that those on city council purport to care about the most. Then again, the last thing that these councillors ever want to see is the poor and the homeless do better. The left wing council feels good because they get to take care of them; the more poor and homeless, the better. and the fact that tobacco taxes are perhaps the most regressive taxes that we have has always been a non issue when it comes to taxing cigarettes.
While the federal government is corrupt and any similarity between what Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government say and the truth is purely coincidental, at least these two levels of government behave like adults. Not so, Toronto City Council.
Last week, it was revealed that council voted in secret (or as they like to call it, in camera) to give themselves pay raises. While they were preparing a routine motion to give the city’s non union workers, the same increase in pay and benefits as unionized workers were given, Councillor Little Bo Peep (a.k.a. Howard Moscoe) moved an amendment to add the words "and elected officials" after the part dealing with non unionized employees. The fact that this type of business is conducted in secret is hardly surprising. after all, when Mayor David Miller first rode into power on his trusty broom promising a more open government we all knew, or ought to have known, that what he really meant was more open to his left wing and union buddies. The kiddy kouncillors just love to do things in secret where no responsible and civic minded person can watch. at least while the federal government was engaged in fraud and corruption, they had the common decency to pass around envelopes stuffed with cash in public places such as restaurants.
What may have been shocking to some about the pay increase was that many councillors, some of whom were present when Moscoe made his amendment, voted to give themselves pay increases while not knowing what they were voting on. It would be nice if we could say that these councillors lied when they denied knowing voting for a pay increase (perhaps with visions of running for the provincial Liberals dancing in their heads) but the sad reality is that they often don’t pay attention to what they are voting on and what laws and regulations that they are imposing on the residents of Toronto. Do we in fact have a democracy when those who are elected to vote haven’t got a clue as to what they are voting on?
To sum up, the boys and girls who voted to give themselves an increase in pay without knowing it are now going to be given more power by the province to impose taxes. and like children in a candy store, they simply cannot stop spending.
If the taxes that the city imposes become too great, residents will end up fleeing to the surrounding suburbs where many of their jobs have gone. Taxes alone probably won’t do this, but when you throw in the escalating gun violence and perhaps more importantly, the increasing gridlock that the bike riding, car-hating councillors refuse to do anything about, a mass exodus could become a reality.
Building a 21st century city — this 21st century city could end up looking a lot like late 20th century Detroit.
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