Call it what it is - a tax

During Watergate, nobody lied. They were called “mistruths.” Your insurance rates aren’t going up after an accident. You’ve just lost your “safe-driver discount.”

During last year’s flooding, tourism officials asked us not to use the word “flood,” but instead refer to it as “highwater levels.”

Let’s add the City of Kelowna to the list of those inventing a new language. There is a new “infrastructure levy,” which could be imposed on taxpayers shortly if given approval by city councillors.

The new levy would be in addition to the regular municipal property tax. The money, city council was told this week, would be used for upgrades to facilities which include parks, buildings and other city-owned assets. It’s also suggested that 16 per cent of funds collected from this levy be used for creating new parks.

The infrastructure levy would be set at an amount equal to one or two per cent of the general taxation demand.

Let’s call it what it is — a tax. If approved, Kelowna taxpayers will be paying more.

Also on the drawing board are new fees on developers to pay for parks. While the idea is well-intentioned, ultimately the cost will be passed on to the home buyer.

Why can’t City Hall make do with the vast amount of taxation it already collects?

Under this present council, since 2014, municipal taxes have increased 15 per cent. That figure doesn’t include the proposed infrastructure levy.

On top of this, we are also paying more to the feds and provincial government, plus everything is going up in price — gasoline, utilities, groceries.

Kelowna is a wonderful place to live — nobody will ever argue that — but City Hall neglects to understand that many soon won’t be able to afford to live here.

We will leave the final word to former Canadian Taxpayers Federation director Jordan Bateman. In a 2017 interview with

Bateman asked: “Where has all the money gone that we already send city hall? Why haven’t those continual tax increases been invested in infrastructure?”

Good questions.