It is said there is only one taxpayer and that’s true. Whether it is federal, provincial income taxes or the property taxes charged to homeowners there is only one source for governments of all levels to get the funds they need — you.
Governments need the revenue to provide the services we as a public have come to expect.
The question is how do respective governments devise ways to get that money, in a way that not only gives them the ability to pay for these services, while at the same time not alienating the taxpayer, who are also their bosses and have the ability to fire them every four years.
That is why governments are always coming up with new ways to raise revenue. A lot of the time, governments do this through something called a user, registration or licensing fee.
If you use a service, a person can reasonably expect to pay a fee.
For example, when Barrhead’s new aquatic centre is complete, it is doubtful anyone, whether they are a resident of the town, county or otherwise, would expect to be able to use the facility for free. Unfortunately for municipalities, there is only so much revenue that can be generated from user fees.
There is one area that is relatively untapped when it comes to generating revenue, bylaw and traffic enforcement.
Not that the Barrhead Leader is advocating that the town’s peace officer or the county (through contracts the service with neighbouring municipalities) go around giving tickets willy-nilly or put in a quota system, but they could look for opportunities where enforcing the law would make the community a better or safer place.
In recent months, according to the chief administrative officer’s report to town council, there has been a concentrated effort to enforce the speed limit during school hours and clamp down on the number of uncontrolled (not on leash or on one’s property) dogs. Why? Simply because residents told the officer there was a need to do so.
Similarly, during the May 10th town council meeting, Coun. Ryan Warehime brought up residents’ concerns regarding speeders driving on the Manola road as they leave town. Coun. Leslie Penny suggested photo radar might be a solution, saying it would reduce the number of speeders and bring in some much needed revenue.
Good suggestion. Hinton and Whitecourt have photo radar in place and both report a noticeable reduction in speeding, while at the same time gaining a sizeable revenue source.
However, communities policed by the RCMP under a provincial contract do not have the ability to use automated traffic enforcement technology. Typically, communities with populations under 5,000 have a RCMP provincial policing contract in place.
Perhaps it is time for the provincial government to give all communities the same opportunity, giving them an effective tool in making their respective communities safer and at the same time, giving them another source of revenue that isn’t a tax.
