Quote:
Originally Posted by chemgear
https://calgarysun.com/opinion/colum...ougher-to-sell
This is what Calgarians weren’t supposed to hear until after they voted Yes or No to the Olympics.
This is what caused councillors days ago to tell us what they heard was downright devastating.
The business properties outside the downtown where taxes could be hiked as high as 29%. Yikes.
Over the past two years, the city has thrown taxpayer dough at the problem. One year it was $45 million, the next year $41 million, trying to cap the yearly tax hike to 5%.
This time spending the same sort of cash would just keep the tax increases below 25%.
Things are so nasty, Fielding says even cutting $200 million out of the city budget would make a headline but wouldn’t solve anything
“To somehow imagine an event eight years in the future is going to solve this really hairy problem … you’re dreaming.”
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This is what I have been preaching since I started into this debate. People have no clue how hard taxes are about to get hit, especially those with the belief Calgary is doing just fine right now.
My argument is not that the event in 8 years solves to the problem as I am hoping Trans Mtn or something similar has already solved the problem by then. My hope is that the job creation as well as general stimulation of the local economy (temporary) that would happen almost immediately helps get us through the next few years. The games themselves are not part of my argument to host the games (as odd as that sounds).