I know it's been discussed in the past, but what is wrong with a penny tax from the city? Is it just not in a city's jurisdiction to do so? I don't see the reason why we can't have a permanent "special improvements" tax that adds a penny (or two) on every purchase. With the volume of retail spending in this city, it seems like a good idea (in theory). Alberta Venture even had an
article on it a few years ago:
Asking Calgarians to voluntarily raise their own taxes might seem like the prelude to a comprehensive mental health examination, but George Brookman, Bruce Graham, Brian Felesky and the other members of Transformation Calgary, the group behind the idea, insist that they haven’t lost their minds. The so-called optional penny tax, which would effectively add a point to the GST and be collected along with the federal levy, would be tied to specific cultural and recreational infrastructure projects they believe taxpayers will be willing to support. “Calgary is in a different place today than it was 10 years ago,” says Bruce Graham, the president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development. “We’re now a global centre and we need to act and think like a global centre. We need the infrastructure of a global centre if we’re going to attract the best and the brightest.”