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Editorial: A hot topic — politicians' pay

Whenever a city council awards itself a pay raise, it takes heat, and that’s certainly true in Port Coquitlam.
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Whenever a city council awards itself a pay raise, it takes heat, and that’s certainly true in Port Coquitlam.

PoCo council is the first Tri-City elected body to address the federal government’s elimination of the Municipal Officers’ Allowance — the provision in our country’s tax laws that has, for several decades, made one-third of elected officials’ pay tax-free to cover the expenses of their public service work. The elimination of this tax perk will hit all Canadian politicians.

PoCo’s response to this change is to increase the mayor’s annual pay by $25,000 and the councillors’ stipends by $5,115 each starting in 2019, when the next council takes office. While the vote on this proposal was deferred at last night's council meeting because three council members were absent, it’s likely to pass.

And we can expect more such votes in the future. Coquitlam council has yet to make a decision while Port Moody has deferred the matter to the next council; the School District 43 board plans to address the issue next month at budget time.

It’s about time this tax break was removed. If a politician is out of pocket for a job-related expense, he or she should simply be reimbursed. There’s no need for an allowance.