MF YYC Politics - there, I mega did it

[Locke]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

The US has inheritance taxes but also a gross up of adjusted cost basis at death. Our system is likely fairer and also more difficult to game, as the deemed disposition at death is hard to avoid.

If you wanted to raise money from a wealthy type tax you should drop the capital gains exemption on a primary residence (or maybe limit it to $1MM in lifetime gains or something like that)

Not that its not a plan, but that is a gigantic can of worms.

Changing the rules mid-way through the game is problematic enough, especially as people have been banking on the rules staying the same. But when the Principal Residence Exemption...I dont think anyone really forecast property values and shortages coming to this point.

This is not what it was designed for.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

But then, we know people vote very illogically in tax policy, and in this case may believe even if their inheritance is small, they don't want to risk that chance their parents win the lottery before they die. They may also not want their own inheritance taxed, in some distant future where they manage to succeed while paying high taxes to make up for the Boomers...still illogical in my mind.

I do not believe it is an issue with logic, I think the bigger problem is misinformation. The moment one of these policies comes out that is primarily targeting rich people, they spend a bunch of money to change the headlines and make the peasants think that the policy will impact everyone and not just the rich.

Combine the misinformation with the deep seeded mistrust that people have for the "other" parties and you end up with the perfect formula for a bunch of people to vote for the party of leopards that eat people's faces.

With the massive wealth transfer that is going to happen as the Boomers age out, I doubt an inheritance tax will get any traction. Governments are better off focusing on a refined carbon tax and taxing the rich via income and capital gains taxes. Maybe just dumb the names down into "Rich People Taxes" so people are less likely to get confused?

[chemgear]

Upcoming election time.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/artic...y-declaration/

Nearly four years after the vast majority of a brand-new council voted in favour of declaring a climate emergency, Calgary councillors will debate whether or not to end the formal declaration next week.

A motion from Couns. Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean and Terry Wong asks city administration to rescind the declaration and order an audit of climate-related spending.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who campaigned on declaring a climate emergency in the lead up to the 2021 election, says the move was the right one to show Calgary is taking the issue of climate change seriously.

“What did this declaration actually mean? And did we need it? And so now I’m calling it out,” said Sharp, who is running for mayor in October.

[WideReceiver]

I’ve seen a brochure of one of the political parties. I hate municipal parties and hope they don’t get traction. I’ll never vote for a party member.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by woob

Can you imagine the UCP backlash if Calgary put in congestion pricing on roads into downtown?

I think just adding a parking tax would work just as well. Levy it as a business tax to all private lots. It functions the same as a congestion tax.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by Torture

Rob Ward is running? Jesus ####ing christ can we all agree not to vote that man into office? Don't disappoint us Ward 11.

His signs popped up in my neighborhood today. Now i know which houses to have my dog poop on their lawns.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by WideReceiver

I’ve seen a brochure of one of the political parties. I hate municipal parties and hope they don’t get traction. I’ll never vote for a party member.

There are no good independents in my riding and The Calgary Party looks far more reasonable than the two UCP/TBA minor league parties.

For mayor, I will probably vote Gondek as she looks to have the best chances to keep out a Sharp or Davison. The new Farkas may yet win me over but I am not sure he is a significant upgrade on Gondek.

We may be best served with Gondek for mayor and Farkas going provincial NDP.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Wolven

We may be best served with Gondek for mayor and Farkas going provincial NDP.

Farkas is an NDPer now? I know he had a transformation but that has to be some sort of joke.

[Torture]

I'd be open to Farkas if he wasn't going to kill rezoning but that"s a dealbreaker for me.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Farkas is an NDPer now? I know he had a transformation but that has to be some sort of joke.

Maybe you were not paying attention last election but a bunch of the former Progressive Conservative members are now backing the NDP. Allan Warrack, Ron Ghitter, and Lee Richardson were all out in support of the NDP because of how far the UCP has fallen away from the values of the PC party of old.

In short, the UCP is the Wildrose party but now tainted by a much worse Take Back Alberta movement. Most "progressive conservatives" do not like what the UCP/Wildrose stands for. Most people do not like openly corrupt and incompetent governments.

It is really not a stretch to think that most educated and reasonable people would be against everything the UCP stands for.

Even if Farkas is 'conservative' that does not mean he would align with the party of corrupt grifting.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Locke

I have a saying around my office: "Inheritances make people crazy."

As my Estates prof wants said "Wills & Estates law: people fighting over money they don't deserve."

[woob]

Originally Posted by Torture

I'd be open to Farkas if he wasn't going to kill rezoning but that"s a dealbreaker for me.

Genuine question; Can a Mayor actually kill rezoning? Isn't it ultimately up to a council vote again?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cappy

As my Estates prof wants said "Wills & Estates law: people fighting over money they don't deserve."

I'd amend that a little to 'didn't earn and don't deserve.'

But lets not nitpick.

I've dealt with so many Estates that for me 'The Entitled Beneficiary' is essentially an absurd caricature that is frighteningly accurate.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Cappy

As my Estates prof wants said "Wills & Estates law: people fighting over money they don't deserve."

yay me for being poor?

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by woob

Genuine question; Can a Mayor actually kill rezoning? Isn't it ultimately up to a council vote again?

Exactly, that's kind of the joke when being super critical of a Mayor. They have very few powers above the councilors and they cannot get anything done without the votes of the rest of the group... and yet if nothing gets done while they are mayor they get all of the blame for a backward council.

All of the mayoral candidates are looking to roll back the blanket rezoning, except Gondek. Although, to be fair, The Calgary Party says they want to "Fix Blanket Rezoning" and not just kill it.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Wolven

Exactly, that's kind of the joke when being super critical of a Mayor. They have very few powers above the councilors and they cannot get anything done without the votes of the rest of the group... and yet if nothing gets done while they are mayor they get all of the blame for a backward council.

All of the mayoral candidates are looking to roll back the blanket rezoning, except Gondek. Although, to be fair, The Calgary Party says they want to "Fix Blanket Rezoning" and not just kill it.

By "fix it" do they mean extending it to neighbourhoods like Upper Mount Royal where rich people have their own DC zoning scheme?

Because I'd be down for that.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

By "fix it" do they mean extending it to neighbourhoods like Upper Mount Royal where rich people have their own DC zoning scheme?

Because I'd be down for that.

By fix they mean expand to more “rich” neighbourhoods.

By default I’m voting for Godnek right now until I hear specifics around people’s thoughts on “fixing” zoning. It’s probably the most crucial item for the long term viability of the city as it doubles in size over the next 20 years.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

By "fix it" do they mean extending it to neighbourhoods like Upper Mount Royal where rich people have their own DC zoning scheme?

Because I'd be down for that.

No. I read it as the opposite. They would make the rezoning more planful so that they can work with the communities to get density while still having diversity in housing options.

"Fix Blanket Rezoning. Find a middle ground solution that supports growth and respects community input, while creating more homes where they’re needed most. This includes a full zoning review to ensure diverse housing forms are built fairly across the city."

Also, I would hope that instead of having the people turn on each other (like how you want to go after upper mount royal) the focus, in my opinion, should be getting housing density out of corporate owned lands. Houses are the most expensive asset most people own and we should be mindful of that while trying to accomplish the goals of making more housing.

[TorqueDog]

I sincerely doubt that the re-zoning is going anywhere no matter who gets in; Calgary has been a top performer in the federal Housing Accelerator Fund and I doubt anyone wants to be responsible for the City losing $22.8m of free federal money to build more housing (and possibly more if the program gets extended, etc.), given the program required the City to implement re-zoning to participate in the first place.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

I sincerely doubt that the re-zoning is going anywhere no matter who gets in; Calgary has been a top performer in the federal Housing Accelerator Fund and I doubt anyone wants to be responsible for the City losing $22.8m of free federal money to build more housing (and possibly more if the program gets extended, etc.), given the program required the City to implement re-zoning to participate in the first place.

Perhaps I glanced too quickly but I do not see anything in there that ties the HAF to blanket rezoning.

All the new council would need to do is present a plan that addresses housing needs to keep access to the federal dollars.

One move that would be smart would be for the city to start developing more housing using the Apartment Construction Loan Program.

The Apartment Construction Loan Program (ACLP) boosts the construction of rental housing by providing low-cost repayable loans to builders and developers. Canada's Housing Plan is making the program even better by:

adding an additional $15 billion in new loan funding, starting in 2025-26, bringing the program's total to over $55 billion
making it easier to use so developers can get more projects done faster
providing $100 million in low-cost loans specifically to build housing above existing shops and businesses
providing $500 million low-cost financing for prefabricated or innovative homebuilding techniques

The city could build affordable rental properties and partner with a non-profit organization to run the property for the required ~10 years. Then they can go after all of the at grade parking lots downtown to get the land to develop using this money.