News   Mar 28, 2024
 1K     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 566     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 859     0 

There May be a Surplus in the Budget, not deficit

Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

I need something quantitative to compare it to, and inflation is the best I have. The point still stands that fares rose much higher than national average prices, right?
 
Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

Yes, but that was a result of government policy. How much did fares rise in relation to other government service fees?
 
Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

Good question. Do any indexes exist that show those figures? I think that would be interesting even without comparing it to the TTC. Or compare it to tax levels.

Hmmm....
 
Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

Good question. I've always been frustrated with the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation for precisely this reason. They always heald tax cuts, but they don't seem to monitor coexistent increases in user fees, fines, and other government revenue mechanisms.

That's why I don't like the CTF! Their failure to monitor the true burden of government revenue collection belies their right-wing agenda (ie, they don't care if government charges user fees in keeping with privatization models because all they want is their taxes lowered). They really do not monitor the quality of service being returned for the amount garnered from all revenue sources. Silly, right-wing nuts!
 
Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

Whether or not inflation is a reasonable comparison, there's no reason the Metropass should have gone from under $60 in the early 1990s to almost $100 ten years later. Time to make it $60 again.
 
Re: TTC Tokens - A sound financial investment

there's no reason the Metropass should have gone from under $60 in the early 1990s to almost $100 ten years later
Sure there is. We couldn't carry any more debt without destroying our credit rating, people with cancer were waiting inordinately long periods for treatment, basic infrastructure was crumbling, etc. We made political choices in the 1990s which were eminently sensible given the economic circumstances in which we found ourselves, but which don't make a lot of sense when viewed from today's perspective.

The city wasn't getting enough money; taxes had already skyrocked; so, they decided to impose a hidden tax on transit users. It sucks. But, I'm hopeful that things will change over the next few years.

Personally, I see the 1990s as a revolution in the way that we view government. For the first time, we expected Ottawa, Queen's Park, and City Hall to act like responsible spenders. They had to balance the books in a way that we haven't required for decades. Yet, as with all revolutions - it went too far. It became an obsession. And, in the fight for economic responsibility, we cut where we shouldn't have.

Things are different now, though. I'm sure we'll see some better transit funding in the coming years. Just be patient - we're still recovering from the mess of 2000-2002.

Also, I have to say, if transit was $1.15, I'd always take it, even for a couple of blocks. Good God, that's a great price!
 

Back
Top