'Tax hike hits old-timers' - The Province

Kent Spencer, of The Province wrote about Langley tax hikes again . Spencer has these quotes:

• "We're driving the long-term resident out of this community," said Coun. Kim Richter.
• "We're facing the highest tax increases in the history of the township."
  "New development loading on costs"
• "It seems like all we're doing is running up the credit card," she said."
• "Richter said the tax bill will be even higher for residents whose homes are valued above $420,000. Many of those homeowners have lived in the township the longest, according to Richter."
• "She said the 10-per-cent increase in spending is composed of the five-per-cent tax increase to cover existing expenses and a five-per-cent jump in spending created by new development."

Acting finance director Peter Vaughan is quoted, "The spending growth is in things like garbage collection, plowing roads, police and fire services and traffic lights," Excuse me? Plowing? It took our ice packed streets weeks to finally melt in the rain! Peter's greatest quoted line is;
"He said it would be unfair to compare it to the rate of inflation because new population growth makes hikes necessary."
So why are we growing if development just costs us more? Maybe he should tell the old boys club on council that they have been falsly saying and selling all of us for years that Langley's dynamic growth adds money to our bottom line! Guess again we now find out that run-a-way development adds rising costs, rising taxes and rising debt!

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