CFIB calls for value for money audit of TransLink

Today, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) called on the TransLink board to initiate a truly independent value for money audit of TransLink. “We need to get to the bottom of this wild spending spree we have witnessed since 2002. TransLink must address the root causes of their structural operating deficit or their thirst …

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Drive Out the Tax Coalition Launches Honk Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2010.
Vancouver, BC — The Drive Out the Tax Coalition responding to incredible public opposition to the 200% parking tax increase implemented by Translink on January 1, 2010 is launching “Honk Friday” at 5:30 pm today.
“Honk Fridays” encourages drivers in Metro Vancouver to demonstrate their opposition to the parking tax increase in …

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Tripled tax triggers parkade protest

A new TransLink tax that triples the fee applied to the cost of using a parkade will drive both businesses and customers from downtown Vancouver, says a coalition of businesses opposing it.
The tax came into effect Jan. 1.
The Drive Out the Tax campaign was launched Thursday with leafletting of drivers parking at lots in the …

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Protesting a parking tax hike

A coalition of organizations are protesting the tripling of the parking tax around Metro Vancouver.
Motorists heading into parkades on Wednesday morning were asked to join the Drive Out The Tax campaign.
Teams of people in matching shirts put leaflets on cars and talked to drivers.
The logo they bore was bright yellow and proclaims “Enough is enough- …

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Vancouver business chiefs launch attack on parking tax

A slickly organized protest against the tripling of the provincial sales tax on parking is hitting the streets this morning.
Signs. Brochures. Anti-tax advocates manning the entrance to pay parkades throughout Metro Vancouver. A sophisticated website and social media campaign. Pre-programmed cellphones for parkade customers to inundate politicians’ and bureaucrats’ inboxes with their personalized protests.
All of …

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Drive Out the Tax Coalition Launches Campaign to Oppose Translink’s 200% Parking Tax Grab

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2010.
Vancouver, BC — As Translink implements yet another tax grab to facilitate it’s uncontrolled spending, a broad coalition of business,, retail, hospitality, real estate, parking, building owners, and community organizations today launched a public campaign called “Drive Out the Tax” in opposition to implementation of a 200% tax increase to parking …

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EDITORIAL: Get ready for another tax grab

These are taxing times.
In 2010, local residents will pay more through the new Harmonized Sales Tax, a rising carbon tax, bigger tax bites to fund TransLink and Metro Vancouver, as well as rising civic property tax bills
in many municipalities.
But the provincial government is poised to make it even worse, at least for motorists who regularly …

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Parking fees even higher, thanks to HST

Oops. I was wrong about the huge, looming increases in the sales tax rate on parking fees in Metro Vancouver. It turns out they’re even larger than I said.
The difference between the whopping big figures I reported and the whopping- even-bigger amounts you’ll have to pay is thanks to tax on tax, and the magic …

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Re-labelled parking tax leaves 21% rate in place, then adds HST

Readers are abuzz about the plan to re-label the 21-per-cent PST on parking fees in Metro Vancouver so it won’t automatically disappear, like all provincial sales tax is supposed to, when the new harmonized sales tax kicks in.
Two common themes in the scores of comments we’ve received deserve to be explored in a little more …

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Huge tax hike on pay parking possible

Motorists who use pay parking lots may have to shell out 35 per cent more in combined taxes starting next summer.
It’s a nightmare scenario for some commuters and businesses that would happen if the provincial government decides to stack the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on top of an increased parking sales tax for TransLink.
TransLink will …

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Don’t expect parking tax relief when HST kicks in

A 21-per-cent sales tax on parking fees in Metro Vancouver, due to kick in Jan. 1, will not go away when the 12-per-cent HST comes into force on July 1. So the new total rate will be 33 per cent.
This huge hit was by no means obvious when the province announced two weeks ago that …

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Parking tax a gambit for bigger stakes?

Is TransLink playing a sly little game by ramming through a huge increase in the Lower Mainland’s parking tax?
I think so–although all I can say for sure is that nobody in the industry has any idea what the end game is, nobody in the provincial government seems to know either, and TransLink’s spokesman, Ken Hardie, …

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LINKS

CBC NEWS: Parking tax protest

Secrets of Vancouver: A Vancouver Tea Party Movement?

Unambiguously Ambidextrous: Vancouver Group Fights TransLink Tax Hikes

City Caucus: Drive out the tax campaign hitting its stride