• Society set up to be “No” side in referendum debate

• Those opposed to TransLink sales tax grab can sign up at NoTransLinkTax.ca

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today announced it has set up an organization to act as the “No” side in the 2015 TransLink tax referendum. The CTF’s No TransLink Tax campaign is opposed to the mayors’ plan to hike the Provincial Sales Tax to fund TransLink.

A website has been set up at www.notranslinktax.ca, and the No TransLink Tax campaign will be further developed in the new year, as the referendum debate begins in earnest.

“TransLink has wasted too much taxpayer money to be trusted with any more of it,” said CTF B.C. Director Jordan Bateman, who will act as spokesperson for the No TransLink Tax campaign. “TransLink burns through money, and taxpayers cannot give these pyromaniacs any more matches.”

The TransLink mayors’ $250 million sales tax hike, spread across the Lower Mainland’s nearly 1 million households, means the average household will face an annual tax increase of about $258.

“TransLink already takes 17 cents per litre on gas, five cents per litre of the federal government’s gas tax, ever-increasing property taxes, a 21 per cent parking tax and a levy on BC Hydro bills. Then they waste it on over-budget projects, executive perks, and dozens of other bad decisions,” said Bateman. “We’d all be better off if TransLink spent as much time and effort looking to save money and cut waste as it did dreaming up new tax grabs.”

The No TransLink Tax campaign called on Premier Clark and the provincial cabinet to bring in rules forbidding TransLink from using taxpayer money to fund the yes side in the vote.

“There are rumours of a multi-million dollar TransLink war chest, a cynical attempt by TransLink to buy taxpayer votes with taxpayer money. When Cabinet sets the rules for this campaign, they need to make it fair,” said Bateman. “No taxpayer money should go to either side of the debate, and TransLink’s spending and advertising during the campaign should be vetted by the Auditor General for Local Government for fairness. Campaigns on both sides should be funded by donors – not taxpayers.”

To sign up for No TransLink Tax campaign updates, visit www.notranslinktax.ca. Media and the public are also encouraged to follow @jordanbateman on Twitter for frequent TransLink referendum news.

For more information, contact Jordan Bateman at [email protected] or 604-999-3319.