Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Letter To The Editor - March 7, 2006 - From Jeannine Cherewick - Open Letter To Translink Board Re: Stupid Parking Tax

To the Translink board thinking this stupid tax will fly;

I live, shop and work in Langley, I do not use transit because although I am very close to Langley city, (I live a block away from the Langley airport in Murrayville,) there is little to no transit available out here! The schedule sucks and it takes longer to ride the bus from one side of Langley to the other than it would to ride my bicycle.

So being a mom of two young children and a busy self employed person; I drive everywhere and as mentioned; it’s not as though I have much choice in the matter.

And now I read in the newspaper that Translink is taxing parking lots in the GVRD (here in Langley)… for what? We do not get the transit service we pay so dearly for through taxes on our homes and gasoline and hydro bills but subsidize Vancouver city with that burdensome tax load. Now you’re penalizing the suburban business for accommodating the people who live out here and have to drive because you do not adequately service the area?!

There are more crude ways to put it but I’ll maintain my decorum; this is a wrong headed, utterly stupid, unfair, greedy, low down, slimy-used –car-salesman, sneaky, thieving, bottom-feeding-politician, weaseling, dim witted, ill thought out, inexplicably outrageous tax decision!

Most businesses out here in Langley pay a lot of money on mortgages or leases for the land and buildings they use, they pay higher fee’s for telephone, property taxes, hydro, Terasen, corporate taxes and on and on. Now you are saying they owe you more for the land they work so hard to pay for, develop, improve and maintain to attract customers (did you do anything to assist in that? I don’t think so!) so you can build RAV or give your selves a raise? I am angry, and believe that property tax is sufficient for the needs of Translink in the GVRD.

Tax the people who live in Vancouver who have regular, ready access to the transit services and don’t use them because they would rather drive their little SUV’s and BMW’s or smart cars than share a seat with a lower income rider. Penalize the people who make the choice to drive their cars rather than the businesses that rely on people such as myself. Because you know that the cost of your rapacious tax is going to kill small business and drive up the cost of product and therefore the cost of living for people like me and I’m just hanging on as it is. So in effect, you are taxing me yet again! (as if my property taxes weren’t burdensome enough!)

I know; why don’t I just send each Translink board member a bill for the privilege of raping my bank account? It will be an easy to read monthly bill, not too expensive and I’m a fair sort of person; so I’ll only charge a nominal percent of their paycheques. So I’ll be needing a breakdown of all their annual pay, including bonuses, and expense account allowances, travel allowances and clothing allowances and so on SO MY CALCULATIONS DON’T MISS ANYTHING… But don’t worry. My bill to each Translink board member will not exceed their ability to pay.

Scrap this idiotic, business killing, cash-cow-so-you-can-take-a better-vacation tax solution and grow a brain.

I am sending this letter along with a request to the Langley city hall that Langley leaves GVRD. You do so very little for us out here… you don’t deserve our support.

Regards,

Jeannine Cherewick

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