This spring’s mail-in plebiscite will essentially ask Metro Vancouver voters if they’re willing to pay $250 million more in sales taxes each year to fund the $7.5 billion expanded transit system proposed by a council of the region’s mayors.
municipal finances in metro vancouver
January 23, 2015
10:00AM
October 21, 2014
6:00AM
Scrutiny of government tax and spending policies remains an important hallmark of Canadian democracy. And yet, while federal and provincial government finances routinely make headlines, municipal governments often escape the fiscal spotlight. This makes it difficult for taxpayers to know how local governments spend tax dollars and whether they deliver value for money.
June 15, 2014
6:00AM
Asking for more money is common among municipal officials. Despite soaring transfers from higher level governments, municipalities repeatedly claim they need more because their revenue sources lack growth potential.