Today, I released an op/ed on what has to be the dumbest public policy suggestion in B.C. in 2013 – a TransLink tax on people leaving the country.
There are two other issues that should be noted on this suggestion:
1. Crossing the border is an enshrined right in Canada. Border tax proponents ignore section 6 (1) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which says, “Every citizen of Canada has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.” That Charter guarantee means any border tax would almost certainly end up in court and cost taxpayers millions to sort out. (This may be tested in court anyway with the coming tolls on a new Ambassador Bridge in Windsor/Detroit.)
2. The only country we can find with a ground-travel departure tax is Bangladesh, hardly a model for Canada to emulate. There may be others, but it’s certainly not a norm for land crossings.
Is Canada Off Track?
Canada has problems. You see them at gas station. You see them at the grocery store. You see them on your taxes.
Is anyone listening to you to find out where you think Canada’s off track and what you think we could do to make things better?
You can tell us what you think by filling out the survey