The Editor,
Re. "TransLink vehicle levy back on Metro mayor's agenda" (The Tri-City News, Jan. 23).
We know that TransLink has an insatiable appetite for other people's money. We've seen this play out over the years, with never-ending schemes for new taxes to pay for the thing.
But Belcarra Mayor Ralph Drew's comments take the prize: "There's only one thing not tapped out and that's the vehicle levy."
Mayor Drew, maybe this is news to you, but cars don't pay taxes, taxpayers pay taxes. Those would be the same taxpayers who are tapped out on gas taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes and so on. Finding yet another tax to throw at taxpayers, and making the disingenuous claim that it's vehicles that are taxed is beyond belief.
Maybe Mayor Drew thinks taxpayers are really that stupid that they can't tell the difference between a vehicle tax and all the other taxes being charged, or maybe if you call it a "levy," taxpayers won't know it's really just another tax.
John Holmes, Coquitlam
