Media Release
For Immediate Release
November 30, 2007
Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition applauds BC government for including
all taxpayers in TransLink amendment
(Vancouver, BC) – The Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition (VFTC) and the business community applaud the provincial government’s decision today to replace TransLink’s parking tax with property taxes spread across all classes of taxpayers.
The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (GVTA) Amendment Act, Bill 43 makes certain both the residential and commercial sectors in Metro Vancouver pay a share of taxes for public transit.
“Minister Falcon listened to the legitimate concerns of the business community who were concerned that taxes to support transit would only be borne by commercial and industrial taxpayers,” said Bob Laurie, co-chair of the Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition (VFTC). “The amendment allows the new board of professionals to administer the tax levy in a balanced and fair manner to support transit services.”
The Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition was part of a business coalition, which included the Vancouver Board of Trade, Retail BC, the BC Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of BC, Downtown Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), and The BC Wharf Operators Association, which advocated for all property classes to be included in the GVTA’s tax levy.
The Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition, representing more than 43,000 businesses, is a non-partisan group formed to raise awareness of the high municipal property taxes paid by Vancouver businesses. For more information on the coalition, visit www.fairtaxcoaliton.com.
Media contacts:
Bob Laurie
Co-Chair, Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition
Cell: 604-202-0360
Ed Des Roches
Co-Chair, Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition
Tel: 604-254-5034 ext. 103
Cell: 604-808-1905
Kim Thé
Contemporary Communications Ltd.
604-734-3663
Cell: 604-727-4413 |
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