Rob Ford's Toronto

[Automation Gallery]

Why doesn't Ford consider other sources of revenue to bring in much needed money to the City of Toronto?
Why is he getting rid of taxes that would bring in revenue?

Have you been in New York City lately...good luck in being able to afford living there
Average rent for a 2-bedroom..a cool $3000-$3500
Come-on, you got to look elsewhere to other American cities, to crunch #s and compare to Toronto.

 

[theflyingsquirrel]

Ford is my hero.
Those were the days that when people do not have enough money, they won't start a family.
Those were the days that when people have plans about how to raise a family and put kids into school.
Oh, I am sorry. People still have plans now.
People can start a family without money, and due to poverty, they can exercise their "right" to spend tax payer's money. This is their monthly income. It is the tax payer's "responsibility" to raise their family and put their kids to school. Their plan is to live with the income tax from people who is working 2-3 jobs to raise their family.
Great plan.

 

[Dilla]

Ford is my hero.
Those were the days that when people do not have enough money, they won't start a family.
Those were the days that when people have plans about how to raise a family and put kids into school.
Oh, I am sorry. People still have plans now.
People can start a family without money, and due to poverty, they can exercise their "right" to spend tax payer's money. This is their monthly income. It is the tax payer's "responsibility" to raise their family and put their kids to school. Their plan is to live with the income tax from people who is working 2-3 jobs to raise their family.
Great plan.

Those were also the days where a family could live off the income of one man working a factory job who never finished highschool. They're gone, except it and live in the now.

Your taxes aren't high because of welfare. It barely rates as a public expenditure, and it's a provincial matter, so your hero can't help you there.

And almost every child, on social assistance or not goes to a public school, but I guess anyone who sends their child to one is actually just trying to suck you dry, eh? Would you rather these kids were poor and illiterate?

Great plan.

 

[fouronesix]

Ford is my hero.
Those were the days that when people do not have enough money, they won't start a family.

Their plan is to live with the income tax from people who is working 2-3 jobs to raise their family.
Great plan.

Those were the days... when people had the foresight to realize that some of their children would die young do to a lack of public sanitation and public healthcare.

Those were the days... when people had to have large families to support them in old age because of a lack of pensions.

Those were the days... when large, multi-generational families lived in poorly constructed shacks - true slums by any definition of the word - because of a lack of affordable housing.

Ah, those were the days... and still are in many impoverished parts of the world.

Furthermore, going by your own logic, those people that require 2 - 3 jobs to support their families probably shouldn't have had families at all. Or perhaps it is the case that it should not be those just above the margins who support those just below it. Ergo, those of great means should pay a greater share than those of less substantial means. And while the right certainly acknowledges the former, their loathe for the latter maintains - if not exacerbates - pressure on low and middle income families.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

http://thecampofthesaints.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/archie-edith-bunker-4a-280.jpg?w=280&h=204

 

[Armbruster]

Why doesn't Ford consider other sources of revenue to bring in much needed money to the City of Toronto? Oh, I forgot, he wants to cancel the property transfer tax. Interesting that New York City still has a Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT)

Why is he getting rid of taxes that would bring in revenue?

Many of these are taxes related to the overall success of NYC. There are no equivalent alternatives to renting a hotel in NY, or parking in NY, and the demand for these services is pretty inflexible. As a result, businesses can charge monopoly rates. If the City imposes a tax on this income, these businesses are not able to pass the costs onto the consumer, since they are already charging the maximum consumers can pay. And so the taxes are borne by those who directly benefit from the City's efforts to make NYC so desirable that it is worth paying the high cost of a hotel room, parking space, etc.

In Toronto, some downtown private parking lot operators have begun to experiment with rather amazing prices, in some cases tripling rates from what they were last year. A family driving down to the ferry docks can now expect to pay $30 for a spot that cost $10-12 last year. This is a result of the City's efforts to make waterfront properties more desirable. Not only should the City raise rates in Green P lots, it should charge a tax on all parking spaces, to recoup some of the private benefits bestowed on property owners as a result of these public investments.

Also, the total cost of a parking space is not just the cost of the space, but also includes the costs of using the public roads that take you to that space. It is fair for the City to recoup some of these costs.

I also think that since downtown hoteliers, restauranteurs and tour operators benefit the most from public investments in tourism, there should be a hospitality levy to pay for these investments, and the hospitality/tourism industry should have the main say in how it is spent. That would end suburban griping about how Etobicoke property taxes help pay for downtown film festivals or parades.

The bottom line for me is, it is perfectly fair for the City to ask that those who directly benefit from public investments pay their fair share of the costs of those investments.

 

[Eug]

In Toronto, some downtown private parking lot operators have begun to experiment with rather amazing prices, in some cases tripling rates from what they were last year. A family driving down to the ferry docks can now expect to pay $30 for a spot that cost $10-12 last year. This is a result of the City's efforts to make waterfront properties more desirable. Not only should the City raise rates in Green P lots, it should charge a tax on all parking spaces, to recoup some of the private benefits bestowed on property owners as a result of these public investments.

I will point out that many of those downtown parking lots would vary prices significantly based on expected demand, even many years ago. So, for lots that normally cost $10, they'd charge $20 or sometimes more even many years ago if there was something happening nearby.

Have they just made those rates permanent now? Or did you just happen to see the rates when they had been jacked up for an event?

This does say to me that Green P's rates need to go up, as you suggest. I always park at Green P, because the rates are often half the price of the private operators or less. I've always thought that several spots in Toronto could easily get a 25% increase overnight and the customers would simply grumble and then just pay it.

As for taxing parking, isn't that already done through property taxes?

 

[Admiral Beez]

This does say to me that Green P's rates need to go up, as you suggest. I always park at Green P, because the rates are often half the price of the private operators or less.

I just ride my motorcycle downtown and park for free.

 

[Automation Gallery]

I just ride my motorcycle downtown and park for free.

I didnt know that motorcycles are exempt from parking tickets on the street, and have seen many yellow tags on Motorcycle seats.

 

[Jonny5]

I didnt know that motorcycles are exempt from parking tickets on the street, and have seen many yellow tags on Motorcycle seats.

They are not exempt from tickets. If you are in a no parking zone, you will still be ticketed. If you are in a legal metered parking spot for cars, you do not need to purchase a ticket.

 

[Armbruster]

Have they just made those rates permanent now? Or did you just happen to see the rates when they had been jacked up for an event?

It was $30 on a typical Wednesday during the summer -- no special events taking place. Parking lots do pay property tax, but the assessed value is not based on parking rates. When parking rates go up, the City receives no extra revenue. In fact, when overall property assessments go up, the City receives no extra revenue.

 

[adma]

Those were also the days where a family could live off the income of one man working a factory job who never finished highschool. They're gone, except it and live in the now.

Your taxes aren't high because of welfare. It barely rates as a public expenditure, and it's a provincial matter, so your hero can't help you there.

And almost every child, on social assistance or not goes to a public school, but I guess anyone who sends their child to one is actually just trying to suck you dry, eh? Would you rather these kids were poor and illiterate?

Great plan.

Though notice re the post you're responding to, that it's got spam links...

 

[Justin10000]

Though notice re the post you're responding to, that it's got spam links...

Let's not ignore that the post makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I didnt know that motorcycles are exempt from parking tickets on the street, and have seen many yellow tags on Motorcycle seats.

It's even better for motorized scooters, since they're permitted to park on the sidewalks. I don't know why everyone doesnt ride a motorbike downtown. Then theres the e bike anarchy.

 

[adma]

One thing I noticed in the current Maclean's that seems to have been thus far off-radar: reports of Doug Ford's disillusionment with being a councillor, won't run again, etc...