Admiral Beez
Superstar
Any increase in revenue to the municipal government will get sucked up by the Police Services Board and the rest of the bureaucracy.Maybe it is time for Toronto and other urban municipalities to look at a sales tax to help pay for projects that the provincial and federal governments refuse to help support. The 0.25% that NYC has to pay, is a good number to start with.
How about before we add another tax to Torontonians in addition to the Miller car tax, and the land transfer tax, we cut government expenses a little? For a starter, reduce city council to 25 councillors, and cut their pay by 30%. They'll still be well above the nation average income. Next, set a pay and hiring freeze (along with retirement incentives) for Police and all other unionized government staff for the next five years. No lay offs, no pension cuts, or reduced work hours, but a freeze on increases to Toronto's spiraling payroll costs, especially in the Police service. The hiring freeze and retirement incentives will cut growth in the city expenses dramatically.
Let's trim the fat before we feed the beast further.