Re: Homeowners see modest tax hike (News, May 29)
I have a response to the mayor’s joyous proclamation regarding a modest 3.42-per-cent tax increase for Oak Bay residents.
First, the tax increase is more than double the current rate of inflation and also double the rate of the average salary or pension increase for most people.
Next, Oak Bay council has managed to sneak in a 25 per cent increase in our water rates, and a substantial increase in sewer rates as well. This is nothing more than an added tax and it is being used to cover up the real cost of an unnecessary and unwanted secondary sewage treatment plant. This really stinks.
The cost of secondary sewage treatment should be clearly identifiable and not buried in our water rates.
Coun. John Herbert appears to be the only member of council who truly believes in fiscal transparency, a concept which all politicians like to talk about prior to being elected, but few ever deliver on.
Bruce Cline
Oak Bay